SPRING 2026
Girl Scouts is a Place to Belong
CAMP BUTTERNUT SPRINGS:
Investing in Belonging For nearly 70 years, Camp Butternut Springs has been a place where girls arrive curious— and leave changed. Nestled across 304 wooded acres in Valparaiso, Indiana, the camp has welcomed generations of Girl Scouts since 1957. Here, girls discover independence, confidence, and community through overnight camp experiences that invite them to try new things, build friendships, and connect deeply with nature. For many, Camp Butternut Springs becomes more than a destination—it becomes a touchstone. That legacy is now being strengthened through a transformative $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., supporting capital improvements at Camp Butternut Springs. This project focuses on three major priorities: the creation of a dedicated medical health center, modernization of critical electrical infrastructure, and the expansion of high-demand program facilities, including a second zipline and dedicated dismount platform. Accessibility improvements will be woven throughout each project, ensuring that more girls—of all abilities and backgrounds—can fully experience camp. The goals of this investment are twofold: to reach more youth with transformative residential camp
experiences, and to ensure campers and families report high levels of growth, satisfaction, and confidence in the safety and quality of camp. By addressing infrastructure needs while expanding beloved programs, Camp Butternut Springs is being positioned as a regional hub for inclusive, highquality outdoor learning. Just as importantly, these improvements give families peace of mind—knowing their children are safe, supported, and encouraged to grow. For some girls, camp is their first overnight experience away from home. For others, it is the one place where they feel completely at ease. This investment ensures Camp Butternut Springs will continue to be a place where girls can simply be kids—and imagine who they might become.
A LIFE AT CAMP:
Zac and Ashley Sibert Zac Sibert doesn’t remember a time when camp wasn’t home. Now 36, Zac has lived on a Girl Scout camp for almost 34 years. His earliest memories are shaped by trails, lakes, and the steady rhythm of camp life. His father, Mahlon, began working as a property manager for Girl Scouts decades ago, a career that would quietly shape Zac’s own future. At 14, Zac officially joined a camp property team as a seasonal staff member, building skills, learning systems, Ever since I was in sixth grade and understood what my dad did for a living, I knew I wanted to do the same. — Zac
and imagining a future where he could help create exceptional camp experiences for girls. Along the way, camp became the backdrop for life’s biggest moments— including proposing to his high school sweetheart, Ashley, overlooking the lake at the camp where he grew up. Ashley knew what she was signing up for. Living onsite, unpredictable schedules, and a life intertwined with camp all came with the territory. And still, she fell in love with it.
believed they might retire there. But in 2022, following the unexpected loss of Zac’s father, life shifted. Six months later, they found Camp Butternut Springs— and saw possibility. Today, Zac and Ashley serve as property managers at Camp Butternut Springs, caring for the land, facilities, and systems that make camp possible. Their work ensures that when girls arrive, everything—from cabins to ziplines—supports safety, wonder, and growth. Now, Zac is experiencing camp from yet another perspective: fatherhood. He gets to watch his son, Dallas, grow up on camp just as he once did with his own dad. It’s a special feeling, camp gave me so much. Now I get to give that same gift to my family— and to thousands of girls. — Zac
In 2012, Zac was given the opportunity to run his own camp at just 21 years old, serving at Girl Scout Camp Prairie Schooner in Kansas and Missouri. The couple
Social Inclusion Throughout March and April, Girl Scouts are participating in a series of Social Inclusion programs throughout our council’s geography. They made tropical smoothies with Chef Roberto, explored an exhibit at the Lombard Historical Society for Women’s History Month about the women’s suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment, and the reality that not all women gained the right to vote until the 1960s. At the Joliet Area Museum they learned about redlining and the civil rights efforts that shaped the Joliet community. Former council staff member L’Oreal Payton Thompson guided a workshop at Zora’s Place focused on helping girls with using their voices to talk about what matters most to them. These experiences were filled with curiosity, connection, and community-building.
WHEN CAMP BECOMES A LIFELINE:
Girl Scouts in Foster Care For girls in foster care, consistency is everything. Through the Girl Scouts in Foster Care program, 200+ girls across our council participate in Girl Scouts each year through partnerships with One Family Illinois, Lydia Home Chicago, Lydia Home Evanston, and Hephzibah House. Week after week, the same Girl Scout staff and volunteers arrive—bringing familiar faces, predictable routines, and the assurance that someone will keep showing up. That reliability is what allows the program to grow beyond meetings and activities—and into experiences like overnight camp. At a recent All-Staff Retreat, Education & Enrichment Specialists Ciara Wilkins, Meredith Brewer, and Madison Detres from One Family Illinois shared what that consistency means for the youth they serve. There’s not anything you can think of that these kids don’t have to face. Their whole lives are turned upside down. — Madison explained. In that reality, Girl Scouts offers something rare: stability. Volunteers that we partner with come and go. That’s just the way it goes with nonprofits. But Girl Scouts are the most loyal volunteers. — Ciara said. Because those relationships are already built, camp doesn’t feel like a leap into the unknown—it feels like the next step. At Camp Butternut Springs, girls in foster care attend overnight camp alongside peers who share similar life experiences. The same Girl Scout values they’ve come to trust are present—just expanded into a full camp experience. Transportation, financial assistance, and trauma-informed programming remove barriers, allowing girls to fully participate. We don’t get a lot of program partners that have financial assistance, transportation, and camp where it’s all other girls in care. So it’s safe. — Meredith shared.
At camp, the familiar becomes joyful. Girls spend their days crafting, singing, dancing, and cheering for one another. They try new activities, form friendships, and settle into the simple rhythms of camp life. They don’t have to explain themselves. — Meredith said. For many girls, camp is where the trust built during the year comes fully to life. Camp is magical for any Girl Scout, but for our Girl Scouts in foster care, it’s truly life changing. — Ciara reflected. In 2026, this work will be further strengthened through a significant grant from the Pepper Family Foundation, ensuring more girls in foster care can experience the joy, confidence, and healing that camp makes possible. Because when girls see Girl Scouts—whether at a weekly meeting or at camp—they know something important: they feel safe, they are supported, and they belong.
Invest in the next generation of leaders! “Being in Girl Scouts has allowed me to learn how to be a leader.” —Lia R, Girl Scout
FORGING OPPORTUNITIES:
Welcoming Refugee Girls to Girl Scouts In January, something special happened. On Saturday, January 10, Girl Scouts GCNWI welcomed 57 girls—many newly arrived in the United States—through a new and rapidly growing partnership with FORA: Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America. The girls come from places such as Myanmar, Ethiopia, Rohingya communities, and other stateless regions. Many have fled the Taliban, genocide, and civil war. For them, Girl Scouts represented a first experience of normalcy, fun, and belonging in a new country. The day was designed as a “taste of Girl Scouts.” Girls were invested with uniforms, pins, and handbooks— starter kits and membership dues generously provided by Board Member Jennifer Mikulina and her daughter’s Troop 40560—officially welcoming them into the movement. Members of the Outdoor Program Team led archery activities, while more than 17 volunteers worked together to ensure the day was joyful and meaningful. The impact was immediate. Behind the scenes, many across the council helped bring the partnership to life, with special leadership from staff member Irene Crea, who also oversees the Girl Scouts in Foster Care program. Her work reflects a powerful through line: creating spaces where girls—no matter their circumstances—are welcomed, supported, and encouraged to thrive. Like at camp. Like in Girl Scouts. As this partnership continues to grow, it stands as a reminder that sometimes all it takes is one safe place to begin again.