Making Friendships that Last a Lifetime at Camp
April 09, 2025
When it comes to Girl Scouts, Elaine Emery is an expert. Girl Scouts has been a part of Elaine’s life for as long as she can remember.
“I became a Girl Scout when I was 10 years old and my mother was a troop leader,” said Elaine.
As a young girl, Elaine went to Girl Scout Camp over the summer, and that is where she really blossomed.
“I grew, and I learned from not only my friends but the great staff that we had, and so many of them I’m still friends with,” said Elaine.
She went to camp for 13 years, 9 of them as a camper and 4 of them as a counselor.
Girl Scout Camp allowed Elaine to branch out on her own. “I’m an only child, so it was really nice to connect with other girls and make friends and have fun,” said Elaine.
Elaine’s fondest memory of being at Girl Scout Camp happened when she was working as a counselor at Camp Wayaka. 10 of her 12 campers passed their Junior Maine Guide test, and it just showed how hard they had worked.
“I was so impressed and happy for them,” said Elaine. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
While Elaine was a counselor, she was also studying to be a nurse. She passed her nursing exams, and eventually, the camp nurse job at Camp Pondicherry opened.
“I knew it was meant to be,” said Elaine.
She was the camp nurse at Pondicherry for 16 years, including the years when her daughters were old enough to attend camp.
“Both of my daughters were Girl Scouts and went to camp during the summer,” said Elaine.
Being a part of Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Camp gave her daughters the same opportunities and emotions it gave her.
“They loved it. It was so good for them. They just met so many people, learned to live on their own, and were able to travel around the country and to England. It was just amazing,” said Elaine.
Elaine believes that the Girl Scouts organization allows a place for girls to grow and thrive, and she is grateful that her daughters and granddaughters were able to experience that. She explained that Girl Scouts is an extremely important organization for young women, and without it, she would not have met some of her greatest friends.
“Some of my greatest friends I met through Girl Scouts,” said Elaine. “Girl Scouts gives girls a special place to go and to learn from other girls and adult women that this can be their world too.”
Recently, Elaine has been able to connect with more of the campers and counselors she was with at Camp Wayaka. They have formed a group on Facebook and have been able to have reunions in person, catching each other up on their lives and remembering the fond memories they have from Girl Scout Camp.
“Reconnecting with some of them it’s like no time has gone by,” said Elaine. “We talk about our lives, how much camp meant to us, and all that we have done since.”
Because of Girl Scouts, Elaine is a confident woman who knows who she is and says she owes some of her success to Girl Scouts. She believes that Girl Scouts gave her, her daughters, and her granddaughters a safe and open place to grow, learn, and thrive, and wants to remind other young women that “we don’t need to be second in command, we can be in command.”
