Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin, has been serving Girl Scouts in the Chicago area for exactly 100 years; this anniversary is celebrated on September 7th.
Courtesy of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana

Not all of the places that contributed to the childhood of suburbanites are actually located in the suburbs.

One such place – Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin – has served the Girl Scouts in the Chicago area for exactly 100 years.

Diane Rack of Hoffman Estates is the special events coordinator for Volunteer and Service Unit 290 for Girl Scout Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin. She played a key role on the board when its continued existence was threatened by proposed budget cuts in 1998.
Courtesy of Diane Rack

That momentous anniversary is celebrated on September 7. But Diane Rack of Hoffman Estates, a lifelong supporter of the organization, was a key figure in helping the camp survive the greatest threat to its existence in 1998.

“I was on the board at the time,” Rack said. “The board thought the project was not financially viable, but the volunteers resisted.”

Rack believes her role as a leader, standing on the side of the volunteers, was critical during the four- to six-month struggle for the camp’s upcoming centennial.

“Don’t take camp away from a child,” Rack said. “The kids need camp. I think it’s good for their mental health.”

Her passion for the significance of Camp Juniper Knoll came not from the intellectual insights of the adult director she was at the time, but from having first experienced it as a child on the north side of Chicago in 1969.

“When I was about seven years old, I had the opportunity to go to JK, as we called it,” she said. “Back then, money was very tight. A lot of girls I knew and hung out with couldn’t go, and I couldn’t always go.”

Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin, has been serving Girl Scouts in the Chicago area for exactly 100 years.
Courtesy of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana

But these precious days of her childhood have produced many of her fondest memories. And she knows that she is not alone.

“JK means something to a lot of people,” Rack said. “Some people have their ashes buried at the camp. You can’t have a real camping experience in Chicago. I think the most important thing is the camaraderie. There’s so much to offer, it’s amazing!”

While the camp was owned exclusively by the Girl Scouts of Chicago during her childhood, it is now owned by the seven merged chapters now known as the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Rack said.

“Diane is right, our mission has expanded,” said CEO Nancy Wright. “We celebrate our history, but we are excited that the legacy of Camp Juniper Knoll will benefit Girl Scouts in the future.”

The centennial of Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin – which serves the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana – will be celebrated on September 7.
Courtesy of Diane Rack

Her own time as a Girl Scout ended in 1979, but in 1980 she became deputy leader and, although she has no children of her own, has held numerous leadership and organizational roles since then.

Among the skills she learned was cooking, which allowed her to surpass her mother in the kitchen, while the organizational and temperamental discipline proved useful in her professional career as a medical secretary to a spine surgeon.

Although Camp Juniper Knoll has celebrated all of its major anniversaries since 1998, this one will be the biggest of all, Rack said.

“I am very excited to be part of the upcoming event,” she added.

But celebrating the camp’s birthday is just another step in Rack’s ongoing commitment to the organization itself.

“People ask me all the time why I stayed in the Boy Scouts for so long,” she said. “And my answer is: There’s no badge for getting out of the Boy Scouts.”

Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin, has been a popular destination for Chicago-area Girl Scouts for a century.
Courtesy of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana

The 100th anniversary of Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin, will be celebrated by the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana on September 7.
Courtesy of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana

Carol Corelli (left) and Diane Rack began working together as volunteer Girl Scout leaders 45 years ago.
Courtesy of Diane Rack