Michelle Cramer, CFRE, President & CEO
It could have not been a more beautiful day for our 6th Annual Camp Amigas!
Camp Amigas is such a special day where Latina Girl Scouts from around central Ohio enjoy full-day at Camp Ken-Jockety. This year nearly 75 girls and their families enjoyed fishing, canoeing, archery, wading in the creek, and creating STEM-related crafts.
I started sponsoring Camp Amigas after my mother passed away, as a way to honor her and my Hispanic heritage. This year, it really touched my heart when some of the moms brought homemade tostadas, Mexican corn, and flan for everyone to enjoy. While the day was fun, it’s the positive impact this day has on the girls that really matters.
For example, there was one mother who came with her daughter for the first time. She shared how her daughter was being bullied at school and how she was very upset and felt alone. Her mother said her daughter did not want to go camp, but her mother encouraged her to try it and said that she would go with her. Her mother said that within a couple of hours at camp, her daughter was smiling, laughing, and making new friends. She said she had not seen her daughter this happy in a long time. When the day was over, her daughter told her she felt so much better about herself and that she wanted to join Girl Scouts. Providing this type of experience to Latina girls touches my heart more than I can put into words.
My dream plan to extend the gift of Camp Amigas and make it accessible to even more Latina Girl Scouts in the 30+ counties served by Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland is in the works!
Thank you, Tammy Wharton, President & CEO and Deirdre DeWeese, Vice President of Philanthropy and the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland for giving me the opportunity to create this special day for these precious girls and their families.
