Over 1,400 Girl Scouts and volunteers from 24 states attended the 2017 Girl Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Fayette County, West Virginia. Eight Scouts and five adult volunteers from Hopewell, Princeton, and West Windsor teamed up to form a “Jamboree troop” to raise funds, plan the trip and travel together to the event, and they were the only New Jersey Scouts to attend.
Maggie Cleveland, of Hopewell, models a Scouts-sewn bag being sold to raise funds for the trip. Bags are still available at Chance on Main in Pennington, NJ.
To raise funds, the Scouts sold cookies and sewed denim handbags and totes made from upcycled blue jeans, and sold the bags at the Pennington Farmers Market and Chance on Main in Pennington, NJ.
The group traveled in three cars and enjoyed historic sites, hiking, horseback riding and camping along the way at Shenandoah and Pipestem State Park. At “the Summit,” the girls and leaders engaged in the high-adventure challenges: archery, rifle shooting, rock climbing, rappelling, swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, fishing, mountain biking, skateboarding, BMX biking, zip-lining, canopy tours, hiking, environmental education, Appalachian games and more. Scouts earned badges, participated in Scouting traditions and met Scouts from all over the United States. The group had a wonderful time and are already making plans to return for the next National Girl Scout Jamboree in 2019.
