Rehire Papa Bear as Ranger for Camp Caloosa
- by: Leaders and members of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida
- recipient: Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc.
It has been brought to the attention of the leaders and girl members of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida that Gene "Papa Bear" Kopec was relieved of his duties as Ranger of Camp Caloosa and told that his services are no longer needed. This and two other terminations were done to balance the budget. However, the northern camp, Honi Honta, will retain their Ranger and other staff to oversee the maintenance of the camp. This is where we find the injustice of Papa Bear's termination. Papa Bear is held in the highest regard by the leaders, girls, parents, trainers and his peers.
Girl Scouts is supposed to be about fairness, what is right and responsible and Papa Bear's termination is none of those. It has been said that there could potentially be no council staff on site when troops are present in camp. First of all, does this follow Safety Wise and GSGCF policies? Who will be at camp to greet the girls and ask them, "Who's camp is this?" waiting for the response that thousands of girls know, "It's our camp Papa Bear!" Who will the leaders turn to when there is a problem that they can not handle or need direction on? Who will be at the camp to protect it from catching fire and potentially burning down? Papa Bear has been there several times and has prevented damage to the property and structures from fire.
As a leader and a parent I am concerned for the safety of my daughter and my scouts and do not feel this decision was made for the right reasons. The safety of our daughters, ourselves and those that visit the camp are the greatest concern.
Our concern lies in the safety and well being of the girls, leaders and parents who use Camp Caloosa. Without a Ranger on site to handle emergencies and any needs that arise for the troops using the camp, we feel this goes against Safety Wise as well as policies for the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. It is the opinion of the Fire Chief of the Bayshore Fire District that it is not in the best interest of the patrons of Camp Caloosa to be without someone on site to mitigate potential fire and medical emergencies. Additionally, it is not understood how outsourcing the maintenance of Camp Caloosa will economically benefit the council.
It will be the current and future Girl Scouts who will be detrimentally effected by the loss of Papa Bear at Camp Caloosa. Who will be at camp to greet the girls and ask them, "Who's camp is this?" waiting for the response that thousands of girls know, "It's our camp Papa Bear!"
Thank you for hearing our protest of the cost saving measure of eliminating Ranger Papa Bear's position at Camp Caloosa. The potential economic benefit will not outweigh the detrimental effect to the girls, parents and leaders of this council.
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