In the summer of 1970, a Girl Scout camp in Edmond reached its limit for the number of troops it could hold at one time. Therefore not every troop wanting to attend was able. For one troop leader, her girls not getting to go to camp wasn’t an option.
That summer, Gerry Greenfield-Elliott established the Greenfield Farm Day Camp, an annual not-for-profit weeklong summer camp for Girl Scouts to have fun while learning outdoors. This little camp right outside Chandler would continue to host generations of Girl Scouts for 53 years until it ended last week.
“It’s been a wonderful 53 years,” Greenfield-Elliott said while reminiscing about spending years leading the camp on her property.
Greenfield-Elliott, director of Greenfield Farm Day Camp, has run the camp since its conception in 1970 with the help of various leaders and family members. The camp has seen as many as 200 girls on the grounds at a time, all broken up into units in which they’re tasked with setting up and maintaining their own campsites.
“It is not just to come out and run around,” Greenfield-Elliott said, “the girls actually learn something.” Greenfield Farm Day Camp has been a place where girls can spend a week without their phones and other personal electronics learning various camp and wilderness skills as well as occasional arts and crafts. Archery, photography, orienteering and fire-starting are just a few of the skills taught annually.
They have often brought out professionals in various fields, like a photographer and paratrooper, to introduce the girls to different careers and teach them varying skills. Their goal is to not only teach girls the “how” of skills, but to also why they should know them.
“It gets in your blood,” Sherie Greenfield-Jones, daughter of Greenfield-Elliott, said, “We all say that we bleed green.”
Greenfield-Elliott was a troop leader to the first Girl Scout troop who stayed at the family’s property, of which her daughter, Sherie, was a member.
Since then, not only has Greenfield-Elliott’s granddaughter, Michelle Cross-Furtado, attended as a Girl Scout and become a leader, but also her great-granddaughter, Adelaide Furtado, was in attendance last week.
The Greenfield family is not the only one to have multiple generations attend the camp. Gerry and Sherie remarked on how daughters and granddaughters of some of the original troop leaders and members have driven from all over the country to attend the camp.
Many of which have come back to visit during the camp’s final session.
“Over the 53 years, I don’t think I’ve missed more than five camps,” said Greenfield-Jones.
Aside from one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the camp has been in operation every year since its founding. Before Greenfield- Elliott’s husband passed away, their land was divided and given to their children. The portion the camp resides on was given to one of their sons with the condition of her being able to have the camp on it for as long as she wants.
“I felt like it wasn’t fair to say we’d have camp next year,” Greenfield-Elliott said, “at my age you don’t know what next week is gonna bring, let alone next year.”
Greenfield-Elliott turns 91 next month and decided to “end while [she’s] ahead.” She remarked on how grateful she is to have made countless friends through hosting this camp. Many of which she’ll encounter throughout the year and will tell her how much they anticipate camp the next year.
“We probably have 50 times over what we’ve needed, all donated,” Greenfield-Elliot said.
Headquarters of the camp has tables covered in bins of crafts materials as well as canopies and larger campsite items all donated by several people who have supported the camp for years.
“We’ve always been conscious of how much camps cost, Greenfield-Jones said, “I don’t think we’ve ever charged over ten dollars for a girl to come to camp.”
With this low cost of attendance, the camp relied heavily on donated materials and financing for a long time. Their goal was to make the camp fun, educational and affordable for each girl in attendance. There have been grants available to those who couldn’t afford the camp fee but wanted to attend.
The camp has seen several volunteers over the years serving as cooks and nurses to the girls in attendance. They’ve also received aid from people donating things as simple as ice to a local church opening its doors as a place of shelter for inclimate weather. “Thank you to everyone who has supported us and everyone who has attended,” Greenfield-Jones said.