Independent Newsmedia
Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC) has been awarded a $2.25 million grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation to support the Cactus-Pine Council’s initiative to expand outdoor programming throughout the year.
While GSACPC has provided outdoor summer programming at its multiple camp properties across northern and central Arizona, the organization’s three-year expansion plan will put an emphasis on leveraging these campsites and providing enhanced outdoor adventure opportunities for Girl Scouts throughout the year.
“Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus-Pine Council continues to think outside the box and create innovative programs that young women need,” Renee Parsons, co-founder of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, shared in a statement. “We believe in supporting the outdoor programming because we know it will help young women build self-confidence, improve overall well-being and become better leaders.”
YAM Properties, the real estate company owned by GoDaddy founder and Scottsdale resident Bob Parsons, owns the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale.
This investment marks more than $10 million in total support that The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has invested in local girls in the past 10 years alone.
The Cactus-Pine Council serves over 11,000 girls grades K-12 in more than 90 communities across central and northern Arizona, including Glendale and Peoria. GSACPC started in 1936.
With five camp properties across northern and central Arizona totaling about 330 acres, these properties offer unique facilities and opportunities for outdoor adventures and fun, no matter the season or environment. Located in forests, mountains and deserts, Girl Scouts are encouraged to explore nature through canoeing, paddle boarding, mountain biking, creek walking, zip lining and more.
“Our desire to improve girls’ access to the outdoors goes far beyond a Girl Scout tradition and brand promise — it is a social justice issue,” says Mary Mitchell, Cactus-Pine Council co-CEO. “GSACPC serves girls from every economic, racial, ethnic, and religious background, and girls of all abilities. Half of our current members come from households with incomes below $68,000 for a family of four, falling below the self-sufficiency line.”
