About Kayak Girl Scout Community Camp

Our incredible team of dedicated volunteers set Kayak Community Camp apart! From our Directors and Nurse to our unit leaders and kitchen staff, every member of our crew is a volunteer. Yup, for real. This community-driven model allows us to offer a premier camp experience at a fraction of the cost of traditional resident camps.

Your camper's safety is our top priority. Every volunteer is a registered Girl Scout member who has passed a comprehensive background check. 

Additionally, our team's training includes:

• Basic overnight training through gsLearn 
• Outdoor Overnight training taught by qualified GSUSA employees and volunteers
• Current CPR/First Aid certification
• Lifeguards certified by American Red Cross
• GS Quantity Cook certification for the Kitchen Supervisor & food handlers permits for all kitchen staff 
• Archery range is led by at least one volunteer who is Level One Instructor Certified with the USA Archery Organization

Our volunteers go above and beyond - they even self-fund their own certifications to keep camp costs low for families! 

Throughout the camp "pre-season", our team meets monthly, not only to plan an amazing week for your camper, but for "Training Topics" to stay sharp on important subjects like conflict resolution, behavior management, mental health support, mandatory reporting and much more.

We volunteer because we love this camp and our goal is to create the best week ever for your camper! 

Len and Donna Derby were Girl Scout Troop Leaders with two daughters; they often volunteered for various Scouting events. They met Lura Smith in the early 1980s at one of these events. Lura directed Camporee for several years, was on the committee for Totem Council’s Challenge of the Totem and was a trainer for Totem Council for several years. Lura's daughter joined  Girl Scouts as a Brownie and when she became a Junior, Lura became her Troop Leader. 

 In 1981, Len & Donna  (Rainbow & Sunshine) volunteered at Cedar & Sound Community Camp where their two young daughters attended.

In 1982, they again volunteered and Lura (Snoopy) joined them.

In 1983, Cedar & Sound had enough volunteers in their area, so Len, Donna & Lura took the year off. In December, they discussed creating another 

Girl Scout Community Camp.

August 5 – 11, 1984 was the first year of Kayak Community Camp.

There were 72 campers led by 23 volunteers.  The fee for campers was $50 (and $38 for campers of volunteers).

 When Lura's daughter grew up and left Scouts, it left a hole in Lura's heart. She enjoyed Girl Scouts so much that she decided to continue. She had always liked the outdoor program and truly enjoyed working with girls and adults in that area. Lura continued volunteering with Girl Scouts, including 25 years at Kayak Community Camp, until 2008  at the young age of 89. 

Shawna Macauley, the Derby's daughter (Kermit), stepped up as co-director  in 2009 after Lura's retirement. With her dad at her side, Shawna directed Kayak Community Camp until Len's retirement after camp in 2018. Melissa McIntosh (Tails) began her director training that year with plans to continue to help Shawna lead KCC for many years to come! Unfortunately, the global pandemic closed camp for 2020, and while campers and volunteers alike were hopeful for a re-opening in 2021, that just wasn't in the cards. 

After two years away due to COVID, Donna, Shawna and Melissa decided to move on and handed the reins over. 

Flamingo & Orchid have been working hard to keep Kayak Community Camp alive since 2022!