A nonprofit organization focused on saving a portion of the former Camp Singing Hills Girl Scout facility is launching a $560,000 fundraiser campaign.
Singing Hills Camping Services Inc., comprised of local scout leaders and parents, has its eyes on purchasing 92 acres of the original 221-acre facility located between Oil City and Dempseytown. If successful, the fundraiser would gather $550,000 to buy the campsite, plus $10,000 for related purchasing fees.
The campaign follows a nearly two-year ordeal that started when the Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania organization announced it was selling Singing Hills along with four other camps in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Since then, Singing Hills Camping Services struck a deal with John Sabella and his family, who own the timber company, to purchase a portion of the camp that includes all the original core facilities.
“Over the past year we have been working closely with John Sabella and his family and laying the groundwork and obtaining commitments to move forward with a public fund drive. It has taken longer than we expected, but the time has come,” said John Bartlett, spokesman for the Singing Hills board of directors, in a news release.
The goal of the new camp would be to serve scouting and other youth organizations while directly offering residential and day camps. Programming would focus on outdoor and nature-based recreation/education and youth development.
The core service area would include Venango, Clarion, Forest, Crawford, Mercer and Butler counties, according to the release.
Other leaders will be named as the campaign develops, the release said.
Michele Winger, president of the Singing Hills board of directors, said the need and benefits of the camp are real. She explained that Girl Scouts in Venango County and surrounding areas have had to travel significant distances and face much higher costs to enjoy camping experiences.
In addition, said Winger, there are fewer camps serving nonscouting children, especially for a residential camping experience. At-risk children have a special need for the benefits camping provides and a nearby, affordable facility is of special importance to that demographic, she said.
Additional information is available by emailing singinghillscamp@gmail.com.
