“We shape our buildings; thereafter, our buildings shape us.” – Winston Churchill
Each year, thousands of Girl Scouts have great adventures and enjoy fun, enlightening activities while visiting the various properties maintained by Girl Scouts of Citrus Council.
- Mah-Kah-Wee spans approximately 260 acres in Seminole County. Anchored by a spacious lodge, the property provides several camp experiences for girls of all ages. There are cabins, tents, yurts and areas for a more challenging ‘primitive camping’ experience. Girls enjoy learning to swim in the pool and hone their canoe handling skills in the lake. The high-ropes course, hiking trails, and archery and tomahawk throwing ranges are very popular. An ADA approved camp site and pool lift encourage girls of all abilities to gain new skills while making friends.
- The first phase of the Crymes Family STEAM Leadership Center located at Mah-Kah-Wee was completed in 2021. Girls study the stars, work in the computer lab, and perfect their on-stage performances while learning and enjoying science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Plans are to add a second level, with ADA elevator access, where girls can get a closer look at space while staying overnight under the stars in the hammock hotel.
- Located on the Banana River in Brevard County, Riverpoint is a beautiful natural water retreat and home to a historic hunting lodge rumored to have hosted Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland. In addition to overnight and day camp, girls enjoy water sports and learn about preserving our marine and coastal habitats.
- Girl Scout Houses are sprinkled around Central Florida and provide troop meeting space. Our youngest girls often get their first overnight ‘camp’ experiences at a Scout House. Houses include Celia Lane and Pinecastle Scout House both located in Orlando, Eustis Scout House, and Melbourne Scout House.
- The Orlando service center houses the corporate offices of Girl Scouts of Citrus as well as the newly constructed Women’s History & Cultural Center.
Through dutiful care and oversight, we can maintain these facilities so that our girls can enjoy experiences together in safe and convenient environments that supplement their homes, schools, and churches.
The global pandemic has made our leadership aware that when the world closes down, girls still need to have spaces to grow. We must be able to keep our operations running smoothly when the doors to other facilities are closed to us. We need to fund these operations consistently, noting when improvements are required, so that our girls can eagerly look forward to their next Girl Scout experience in clean, sturdy, safe places where there are no limits to their imaginations.
Our annual budget for these functions is almost $500,000 annually, excluding related staff expenses. We have enjoyed the generosity of parents, alumni and volunteers who regularly engage with us to make sure that our girls have what they need. But we should always have financial resources for upkeep, repairs, replacement, and improvements due to normal wear and tear in Florida’s humid climate, prone to hurricanes and storms.
We invite financial investment designated for the care and maintenance of our facilities, equipment, and properties on an annual basis. Though many of the events our girls enjoy are seasonal, we spend the rest of the year preparing for the next season of activities or ensuring that many of the natural weather hazards of Central Florida won’t limit the use of facilities for our girls due to damage or loss.