Youth Fundraising

A Vermont Boy Scouts camp is expected to change hands but stay as open land.The Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Outright Vermont have announced a purchase and sales agreement for Camp Sunrise. It is a nearly 150-acre piece of lakefront property in Addison and Rutland counties, currently owned by the GMC.Outright, which works to build safe and affirming communities for LGBTQ+ youth, said it is cautiously optimistic it will buy the land that sits in the towns of Orwell and Benson to expand its overnight summer camp called Camp Outright.Currently, Camp Outright operates on rented space, where the nonprofit told NBC5 News it has had to turn away more than 100 kids in recent summers. Outright Vermont’s executive director, Dana Kaplan, said owning the Camp Sunrise property would allow the organization to offer more programming to more youth, including new day camp experiences.In an interview Wednesday with NBC5 News, Kaplan said more such opportunities are seriously needed for LGBTQ+ youth, who are looking to simply be themselves in affirming atmospheres while forging supportive friendships with peers who have had similar experiences.”This is actually filling a gap that exists in our country right now,” Kaplan said. “There’s only a handful of LGBTQ-specific camps. I remember walking down the street and running into a neighbor, who happens to be a therapist, who said, ‘Your camp did more for my client in five days than I’ve been able to do for them in an entire year.’ It’s that type of transformation that we know that young people need, and we’re positioned to be able to help make it happen.”Kaplan said the acquisition process will take some time and will mean fundraising and construction upgrades. Outright Vermont announced it is working with the Vermont Land Trust, which is helping with some of the details of the transaction.In a statement, the Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America said the deal is consistent with its mission.”Working with Outright Vermont aligns with the GMC’s goal to conserve the natural landscape of the property and ensures Camp Sunrise will endure as a safe place where youth from Vermont and beyond can gain a powerful sense of belonging needed to grow into responsible community members,” wrote Mark Saxon, the Scout executive and CEO of GMC.Kaplan emphasized that he wants neighbors to know Outright is not looking to make any changes to public access to Lake Sunset, and will welcome continued public access for recreation there.