GIRL SCOUTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO VOTE ON PROPERTY

GIRL SCOUTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO VOTE ON PROPERTY RECOMMENDATION

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland's Board of Directors will vote later this month on whether to divest six of its 10 council program properties. Two of these properties, Latonka Program Center (Wayne County) and Mintahama Program Center (Newton County), currently host summer resident camp. The board received a recommendation to do so from a volunteer property committee that spent more than two years doing research, collecting survey data and gathering input from volunteers, girls and community members.

Anne Soots, Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland recognizes the impact this will have on some of its members: "I understand that if this recommendation is approved, the results will create heartache for some of our members. I want to stress that Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland is committed to ensuring that as many girls as possible have access and opportunity to build friendship and learn leadership skills in the great outdoors. We plan to expand our collaborative efforts with other outdoor organizations in the area, and develop a plan to upgrade our remaining facilities to meet the needs of today's girls as identified in the analysis process."

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland has seen a decline in camp participation in recent years, with less than 5 percent of its total girl membership currently attending resident camp. "When you look at participation numbers versus the cost of maintaining the properties," said Soots, "you have to determine how you allocate those dollars to best benefit all girls across our 68-county jurisdiction."

The committee also determined that in addition to deferred maintenance, major upgrades are needed. "They recognized that the expectations of today's girls, and their parents, for outdoor experiences are different and that none of the current properties meet their expectations or their needs completely," Soots said. "And with this much property, the council cannot afford to maintain every site, as well as provide the infrastructure and amenity changes that girls and parents want."

The board of directors is scheduled to vote on June 14. A detailed summary of the property committee's proposal is available at www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org/content/long-range-property-plan. Written feedback, questions or concerns may be directed to Anne Soots at asoots@girlscoutsmoheartland.org or 210 S. Ingram Mill Road, Springfield, MO 65802 by 9:00 a.m. June 14, 2013. All submitted feedback will be given to the board for review.