Camp Letico
Independance Drive, Roselle
Link to Camp Letico Web Site
Camp Letico Activity Patch - Gold Award Project - 2002 - Jennifer Carolina
Reserve Camp Letico
Camp Letico is the best kept secret in Union County. It is a 6.57 acre wooded area on the west side of Roselle.
HISTORY
The Girl Scout Council of Roselle and Roselle Park, Inc. was started in 1927. Their offices were located over the bowling alley on Chestnut Street in Roselle.In 1954 the Girl Scout Council was forced to find a new location for its day camp. A parcel of Boro-owned land was located at the West End of Roselle. The Girl Scout Council appealed to a Rotarian, Francis Pitman, then Mayor of Roselle, who was able to secure a long term lease on the Borough property for 45 years starting May 28, 1954.
The Roselle-Roselle Park Rotary club adopted as a project the establishment of a campsite for the Girl Scouts. A small two-story home was offered to Mayor Pitman by an attorney who had to dispose of it as part of an estate. He gladly accepted the gift and donated it to the Roselle and Roselle Park Girl Scouts. The house had to be moved from its original location at East 7th Avenue to the campsite in the West End, put on a foundation, connected to all utilities, and reconditioned. The original portion of the house was turned into a kitchen and bathroom facility with a large meeting room added to the back.
On February 16, 1955, the keys were presented to Elsa W. Loestler, President of the Girl Scout Council of Roselle and Roselle Park at an evening Rotary meeting. The building was named Pitman Hall in honor of the Rotarian Francis Pitman and then Mayor of Roselle, who worked diligently for this project.
Camp Letico sits on 6.57 acres of land in a lush, pastoral setting off Independence Drive. This setting lends itself to a perfect place for outdoor activities and education. Many Girl Scouts have had the opportunity to participate in summer camp programs since 1954 at Camp Letico. Other traditional Girl Scout programs such as, outdoor cooking, outdoor skills, nature studies and overnight camping are parts of the programs now being offered to Girl Scouts at Letico yearly. A new agreement is being negotiated with the Borough of Roselle at this time, making our little cabin in the woods a tradition with a future for all Girl Scouts. Camp Letico has been used by the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and other organizational use not restricted to youth activities.
Juliette Gordon Low started the Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 1912. The first meeting of Girl Scouts was held in Savannah, GA on March 12, 1912. The Roselle/Roselle Park Girl Scout Council started in 1927. Washington Rock Girl Scout Council received its charter in 1957 from the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Washington Rock Girl Scout Council was named after Washington Rock State Park in Green Brook. Roselle was one of the first 21 communities to enter the new council. The Council now services 24 communities providing resources to 690 troops with a total of 7425 Girl Scouts and 3000 adults. The council reached out to girls between the ages of 5-17 of all backgrounds.
The Girl Scout program, as carried out in troops, is an informal educational program. Activities are based on the needs and interests of girls and their overall readiness. Our program has four fundamental goals. The Girl Scout experience enables girls to develop their full potential, to develop social skills in relating to others in a multicultural climate, to develop a value system based on the Girl Scout Promise & Law, and to provide the foundations for sound decision making. The Girl Scout program continually provides exploration of roles and contributions of women past, present, and future.
Activities include opportunities for cooperative learning experiences, external learning, individual and group participation, value developing, decision-making and skill building. These types of activities are determined in partnership by girls and their leaders and reflect the girls’ needs and interests, physical and emotional readiness, skill level, and participation.
The spirit of Girl Scouting is alive and well today, just as our founder Juliet Gordon Low envisioned it. In this new millennium, it is an organization where girls grow strong.