March 11, 2026
Greetings Scouts and Families of Troop 965!
It’s time to start preparing for summer camp at Camp Blackhawk (Go!) at Owasippe Scout Reservation. This letter contains basic information to assist you in planning for summer camp.
Important Dates:
– Summer Camp Deposit Due – March 23
Owasippe requires a $75.00 deposit for every camper. The Troop must submit our deposit by April 1 to gain access to the registration portal for merit badges and other programs. We will have the option for you to pay through GiveCentral. More information about this will be on the Summer Camp page of the website shortly.
– Parent and Scout Summer Camp Meeting – Monday, April 6 – 7:00 pm – School Hall
There will be a critical meeting for Scouts and parents to go over everything you need to know about camp. We will also explain how to pick merit badges and special programs. The boys’ choices are due back to us at the April 13 Troop meeting. The Troop gets access to the registration portal on April 18, and we want to be ready to sign up our Scouts for everything they want to do.
– Summer Camp Dates: Sunday, July 12 to Saturday, July 18, 2026
Cost: $465 per Scout – This includes all meals from Sunday night to Saturday breakfast, most activities, transportation, Owasippe t-shirt, group photo, and pizza night. There are some minor additional costs for materials in certain merit badges. We will keep track of these at camp and “bill” the boys when we get home.
The final payment of $390.00 is due to the Troop by May 11.
The Pathway to Adventure Council offers “Camperships” that can help defray the cost of camp that are awarded on a financial need basis. Here is a link to the application. The application to the Council must be submitted by April 15, 2026. As always, if the fees are an issue for your family, please contact Wayne Gulliford for a confidential discussion.
The cost for leaders and parents is $250 for the week. A leader or parent coming for a few days can pay a daily rate of $30.
Deposit and Payment Deadlines:
| Deposit Due March 23 | Final Payment Due May 11 | Late Fee After May 11 | |
| Scout | $75 | $390 | $25 |
| Leaders/Adults | $75 | $175 | $25 |
Signing up for Merit Badges and Activities
Scouts will need to choose the badges and activities they want to participate in. We will be sending out information and posting it to the website shortly. The leaders will help the Scouts make their choices. The sign-up system goes live on Saturday, April 18 and our week at camp is one of the busiest, so we want to be ready to get our Scouts signed up when the portal opens. We will discuss this at the April 6 Summer Camp Meeting.
Leaders
Art Mandelin will be the summer camp Scoutmaster this year. We would love to have more Scout parents join us at camp. You are encouraged to join us at Owasippe for the week or a few nights. It is a great opportunity to bond with your Scout in a very memorable way, and it is a great help to the Troop. If you are considering coming to camp, you will need to register with Scouting America. Please check in soon with Wayne Gulliford to get information about how to get registered with Scouting America.
We may also need some parents to drive Scouts to and from Owasippe. We will keep you posted about this as we see how many leaders and Scouts are going to camp.
Dietary Needs
If your Scout has special dietary requirements, please let us know soon! There is a special dietary form to fill out before we get to camp. As soon as the council finalizes the dietary form, we will post it to the Summer Camp page of the Troop website. Our experience has been that the camp kitchen does a good job of accommodating special requirements when they get advance notice.
Health Forms
An up to date (no more than 12 months old at the time of camp) Scout health form must be on file with the Troop. It is a national Scouting America requirement for participation in Scout activities. No one, including leaders and parents, is allowed to participate in Scouts if the form isn’t up to date. John Pelrine and Wayne Gulliford are good resources for any questions you might have. The health form can be found in the Resource Center. Wayne Gulliford has begun sending out reminders to families whose Scout is coming up on their renewal date.
We’re looking forward to a great week at Owasippe! Please let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you.
| Wayne Gulliford Troop 965 Committee Chair 312-659-6422 | John Pelrine Scoutmaster 773-206-7160 | Art Mandelin Summer Camp Scoutmaster 312-404-2446 |