The Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois opened a new addition to their Edwardsville-based Camp Torqua on Thursday.
The event showcased The Pines, the newest addition to Camp Torqua, and took place in the center of five newly donated cabins.
“We really want this diamond in the woods to be exactly what the girls are looking for,” said Loretta Graham, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois.
The development of Camp Torqua hasn’t come without tribulations.
In 2020, the property was listed for sale along with two other properties due to declining cookie sales, issues with suppliers, and increased maintenance costs. But support and feedback from the community encouraged the organization to hold onto the property after Camp Chan Ya Ta in Worden and Camp Wassatoga near Effingham were sold, Graham said.
“We did so well in our other sales that the volunteers got together and asked if we could keep it,” she said.
“It’s important for kids to have the best of the outdoors. We can’t do that without the community, and the community let us know what they wanted.”
The park was built with respect to nature, showcased in an angular entrance that winds around old growth trees. In addition to the cabins, the event also showcased a newly built, 1,720-foot wheelchair accessible foot trail that winds through the towering trees surrounding the camp.
“It was really important to us to increase accessibility for this newest trail,” said Trisha Higgins, director of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois.
“We want every girl to get the benefit of the leadership experience, and when we say every girl, we mean every girl. We want everyone to have the same Girls Scouts experience.”
The ribbon-cutting coincided with the Girl Scout’s third annual “Cocktails at Camp” event, a fundraiser where donors make contributions toward bunks and sponsorships for girls whose families may not be able to afford outings.
The Pines were built with money from the contributions of Ameren Illinois and Ralph and Donna Korte, Higgins said. The new trail was built by the Agency for Community Transit, which manages transit in Madison County.
Fundraising has been ongoing for weeks prior to the event. The Girl Scouts raised $10,000 total additional funds, with Ameren Illinois contributing $3,000 and Gillihan Concrete contributing $7,000. Amy Truitt, the organization’s development manager, said they were hoping for $55,000 by the end of the night.
“We’ve had really great support from the community,” Truitt said.
Events at the camp include horseback riding, tractor rides, music and camping. Other, less “outdoorsy” activities are also available at times, including a robotics camp taught by George Mitchom.
“There’s something here for every girl,” said Higgins.
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, headquartered in Glen Carbon, serves more than 9,000 girls in 41 counties. It was formed by the 2009 merger of the former River Bluffs and Shagbark councils. It’s governed by a volunteer board with 19 members.
Registration for The Pines will be available to any Girl Scout troupes as well as outside businesses and organizations looking to rent a cabin while the scouts are away.
To contact or register for the camp, visit the Girl Scouts website at this link.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat. Joshua Carter is a photojournalist for the BND, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
