It is with heavy hearts that we announce the cancellation of this summer’s camp programs. Our hearts break knowing the disappointment this will cause girls, staff, and volunteers looking forward to their summer camp experience. However, the safety and well-being of girls, volunteers, and staff are always our No. 1 priority, and we feel we must take the smart and safe course.
We have been following closely the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in our state. We have consulted with medical experts, our Board of Directors, GSUSA, and other Colorado camps. All of the information points to our community being a long way away from recovery and a sort of “new normal” defining activities moving forward. Given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we cannot risk having girls in close group settings in the early part of this summer.
All staff-led overnight camps, family camps, and troop camps, as well as all volunteer-run day camps and troop camps are canceled through July 31. All families registered for summer camp will receive a 100% refund processed to the original form of payment. GSCO’s registration team will begin processing refunds today and during the next two weeks will be working hard to process refunds for all camp sessions. You will be notified via email once your refund is initiated.
We also acknowledge the hard work many Girl Scouts put in to sell cookies to help fund their Girl Scout camp experience. Cookie Credits used for 2020 camp programs will be reissued and mailed to the camper. Cookie Credits can be used toward camp in 2021, for other activities, or in the GSCO retail shop. It will take a minimum of three weeks for Cookie Credits to be reissued and received in the mail. Volume discounts earned by girls during this year’s Girl Scout Cookie Program will be honored for the 2021 summer camp season.
If your girl is registered for a volunteer-run camp (with registration handled outside of CampInTouch), the volunteer camp director will reach out to you within a week with more information on a refund. Thank you for your patience as these camps are run by volunteers who will need time to communicate and process refunds.
We believe strongly in the importance of getting outdoors and the power of the summer camp experience. For our Outdoor Programs team, camp is not just a job, it’s a way of life. We are working on contingency plans and coming up with other fun, exciting ways to bring that experience to girls.
A big reason we are making this decision now is that we want to reduce some of the uncertainty in your lives. We know this whole situation is incredibly trying for families.
While we do have hope that we will be able to run some sort of outdoor programming in the latter half of the summer, we don’t know for sure what that will look like. We will be sending a survey to families soon to assess what type of programming might work best for you.
At this time, Girl Scouts of Colorado has not made a decision to cancel other in-person programming beyond May 31, including service unit camps and individual troop camping experiences. We will continue to listen to the medical and public health experts and use that information to guide our ongoing decisions. As always, we’re focused on doing what’s best for the well-being of girls, volunteers, and staff.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this painful and difficult time for all of us.
If you have questions, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions or reach out to inquiry@gscolorado.org.
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