News

Press Release: Resident camp registration is open

See the press release for announcement of the 5th annual all volunteer run resident camp at Camp Archbald. Below is a quick summary about what camp can offer girls. If you are interested in an interview or need follow up information please contact Emily Loder at (207) 510-7880 or e-mail mediaforsoca@gmail.com.

Summer camp for girls! Open to girls 1st – 12th grade, Camp Archbald in Kingsley, PA has everything your girl needs to have fun! Zip line, swimming, boating, singing, horseback riding and hiking are just some of the activities she will do while meeting new friends and having the time of her life. Spend a week or two at Camp Archbald. Camp is open for two weeks from July 10-15 and 17-22. Or if your camper is new to camp, give her a Taste of Camp for just three days and two nights. Questions? E-mail residentcampforsoca@gmail.com

Open to girls 1st – 12th grade

Prices range from $150-$650

Location – Camp Archbald 100 Camp Archbald Rd. Kingsley, PA 18826

Hosted by Supporters of Camp Archbald (SoCA) an association of Girl Scouts that seeks to support and conserve Camp Archbald for Girl Scouting.

Press Release: 100th Anniversary at Camp Archbald

Press Contact for Supporters of Camp Archbald:
Name: Emily Loder, Marketing Chair
Phone: 207-510-7880
Email: mediaforsoca@gmail.com
Download a copy of our official press release here

For Immediate Release:
Girl Scout Alumnae Celebrate 100th Anniversary of Camp Archbald
After COVID delays, second oldest Girl Scout camp celebrated centennial

Susquehanna County, PA – In celebration of its 100th anniversary as a getaway and summer camp for Girl Scouts across the area, Camp Archbald opened on Saturday, September 18 for a day of camp fun.   

 In-person events were canceled in 2020, but Supporters of Camp Archbald (SoCA) hosted digital events throughout the year. S’More Fun at Camp Archbald: Looking Forward to 100 More Years of Adventure, SoCA’s pinnacle celebration brought 150 people to the second oldest continuously running Girl Scout camp in the world. 

 Participants enjoyed photos from throughout the decades, vintage uniforms, digitized lantern slides, camp memorabilia, the opening of a time capsule from the 80th anniversary in 2000, and the placement of a new time capsule. 

 “This is a once in a lifetime event that means so much to so many people,” said Emily Loder, Marketing Chair of Supporters of Camp Archbald, the volunteer organization that runs the camp. “Camp Archbald is a special place and it is wonderful to see it being taken care of as we look to the next 100 years.”

Proclamations were read from the Pennsylvania House and Senate on behalf of State Representative Karen Boback, State Representative Jonathon Fritz, and State Senator Lisa Baker congratulating Camp Archbald upon its richly deserved recognition and extending warmest wishes for a future replete with ever-increasing success.

 The youngest future Girl Scout (only eight weeks old), the oldest Girl Scout (91 years old), and current Girl Scouts and alumnae in between enjoyed camp traditions and activities together throughout the day.

 “Our celebration of Girl Scouting at Camp Archbald transcended the age gap in participants at S’more Fun,” said Nikki Morristell, SoCA President. “Camp Archbald has made an impact on the lives of countless Girl Scouts for 100 years. From making new friends, overcoming fears, and learning leadership skills, campers have grown as a result of their time at camp.

Learn more about S’more Fun at Camp Archbald and its centennial celebrations by visiting https://supportersofcamparchbald.org/events/100th-anniversary

SoCA Shout: Ginger

Scranton has transformed over the past few decades, and Virginia “Ginger” Goodrich has had a front- row seat.

In 1965, Goodrich had almost finished her studies at Lackawanna Junior College when it set her up with some job interviews, including one at an accounting firm and another at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.

Luckily for her, she was hired as secretary of the chamber’s industrial development department.

“I am allergic to math. I could have never been an accountant,” the lifelong Dickson City resident joked during a recent afternoon at the chamber building. “It all worked out, though, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Over the last 56 years, Goodrich has held many titles, including staff assistant and office manager, and now serves as executive secretary to President Robert Durkin. This position makes her a major part in the chamber’s day-to-day duties as well as overall in driving Scranton forward. With no plans to retire just yet, Goodrich relishes the work she does.

She’s also witnessed transformations within the chamber, from the superficial to the substantial. She saw the advancements in technology, making the move from typewriters to computers to the laptop she can close up and take with her at the end of the day. Goodrich also has watched more women advance in leadership roles. There have been more women in business in general over the years, she said, but also within the chamber of commerce itself.

The chamber’s mission has remained the same, Goodrich said, though most people may be unaware of what the organization offers and accomplishes, all of which Goodrich plays a part in. Its affiliate programs include the Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Co., or SLIBCO, of which Goodrich serves as secretary, and Lackawanna Industrial Fund Enterprises, aka LIFE, which has been the primary development team behind attracting, sustaining and growing jobs and community investment in Lackawanna County. Another, MetroAction, is a nonprofit community development organization dedicated to providing small- business loans and business development assistance, and Leadership Lackawanna and its executive program are geared toward enhancing skills for professionals.

The chamber is made up of many moving parts, and Goodrich keeps things running smoothly. She’s in charge of many different schedules, coordinating meetings with staff, members, volunteers and the board of directors (many of which she attends). All of these details contribute to the chamber’s larger idea to attract, sustain and grow businesses and jobs. It also promotes the best interests of the people, and Goodrich has seen firsthand over the years that if you grow the economy, you will promote those interests.

“You sort of see how it goes hand in hand,” she said. “There’s really a lot that’s changed about the chamber, but the mission to promote this area and its businesses and people is still at the heart of it.”

Goodrich has worked with several presidents over the years, adapting to their individual management styles.

While she began the job without much experience, she points to her time with the Girl Scouts as what helped her land the job and then learn and grow. Goodrich began as a Girl Scout at 8, and it remains part of her life. When Goodrich was a child and saw her best friend and neighbor marching down the street during the borough’s Memorial Day parade with her Brownie troop, Goodrich knew she wanted to join, too. While the troop was full, another one was just starting: Troop 112. Goodrich joined and stayed with the Girl Scouts, completing service projects, earning badges and moving up the ranks.

While working for the chamber, she opted to become a counselor to Troop 112 in her 20s and held the position for 30 years, stepping down in 2000. She also held committee positions and board memberships with Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania and its predecessor, Girl Scouts Scranton Pocono Council, and she received numerous awards from the Girl Scouts over the years.

She still reserves one vacation week per year to volunteer with the nonprofit Supporters of Camp Archbald, a group of former campers and counselors who host resident camps at the former beloved scout grounds. Still, her duties at each intertwine.

“It’s funny because in my day-to-day at the chamber, I’m assisting people, and then (at Camp Archbald), I’m also working as an assistant,” she said. “I’m just doing those odds and ends and helping out and jumping in wherever I’m needed.”

Collaboration and teamwork have always been part of Goodrich’s philosophy for success, and she noted the chamber wouldn’t work without a great staff and a large group of dedicated volunteers. In fact, volunteering is at the heart of what the chamber does, as Montage Mountain Resort and Steamtown National Historic Site, both in Scranton, were pushed forward by a group of dedicated volunteers who sought to bring the attractions to the region.

A collaborative work environment is just one of the many reasons why Goodrich opted to stay with the chamber so long. Another is the fact that, in 56 years, she’s never experienced boredom. Every day is different, and she enjoys keeping up with what’s new in Scranton.

“I never thought to go anywhere else,” Goodrich said. “It’s funny because I remember my mother saying something like ‘They won’t go out of business.’ An accounting firm, they might not be around forever, but the Chamber of Commerce, that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. It’s funny because it’s the nature of an organization like this to grow, adapt and change over time to meet the needs of the community. And that’s what (the staff does), too.”

Read the article in The Times Tribune.

Traveling library display commemorates Camp Archbald

Camp and Girl Scout memorabilia on display at Susquehanna County Public Library in September, pictured is Sue Stone, Library Director.

Susquehanna County, PA–Supporters of Camp Archbald (SoCA) is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Camp Archbald, the second oldest Girl Scout camp in continuous operation within the United States. To celebrate this anniversary, SoCA has put together a collection of Girl Scout and Camp Archbald memorabilia. Traveling to a different library each month, this collection will showcase the rich history of Girl Scouts and Camp Archbald. Many of the pieces in this collection show that a girl’s experience at Camp Archbald, whether in 1920 or 2020, has a profound experience on the rest of her life.

Kate Crowley of Tunkhannock, who is heading up the project, contacted several local libraries which have each agreed to host the collection for consecutive one month periods. Currently, the display is being housed at the Susquehanna County Library in Montrose. The collection has visited the following libraries this year: Pike County Public Library in Milford and Taylor Community Library in Taylor.

Most of the display items are on loan from current SoCA members. The collection’s oldest item, a journal from a former camper about her adventures at camp, dates to 1930. Other items include camp guides, postcards (Crowley’s personal favorite), pictures, and mess kits. “The library is the perfect place to showcase to everyone the last 100 years of fun and leadership at Camp Archbald,” Crowley says.

SoCA would like to thank all eight libraries for their participation in this project and the members of SoCA who loaned their personal camp items for the display.