Parents and volunteers question Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts' plan to sell camps and offices

The pandemic was hard on many of Delaware's Girl Scout troops, but their volunteer troop leaders believed things were looking up.

The news that their regional council, the Girl Scouts of Chesapeake Bay, was in a financial crisis caught many by surprise.

In an Aug. 30 statement, the council announced that it is forced to sell four of its six properties, including its headquarters and two of its popular camps, to stay afloat.

The closures include two Maryland camps − Camp Grove Point in Earleville and Camp Sandy Pines in Fruitland − the Northern Resource Center on Old Baltimore Pike in Christiana that serves as its headquarters and the Peninsula Resource Center in Salisbury. The organization will continue to own and operate two other camps, Camp Country Center in Hockessin and Camp Todd in Denton, Maryland.

Reporter Molly McVety wrote this week that the council, which covers Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia, has seen membership drop to below 4,000 girls. Eight years ago, as they were breaking ground on their new headquarters in Christiana, they had 11,600 members.

Council officials did not return our calls to discuss their decision.

According to a press release from the Girl Scouts organization, a portion of the sales proceeds will be invested in its remaining campsites, including the camp's STEM Lab, and setting up workspaces for employees, as well as providing long-term financial stability for the council.

The decision to sell two of its most popular camps that offered access to kayaking, hiking and countless other outdoor activities has angered many parents and volunteers, one who has started a petition to try to get the council to reconsider.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts plans to sell camps, offices to stay afloat