Konarcik Park in Waterloo was exceptionally busy last week as it once again hosted a popular and successful day camp for area Girl Scouts, with this year’s camp earning another scout her Gold Award just as it did last summer.

This year, Waterloo High School senior Anna Bulman had the pleasure of leading the camp’s organization and management alongside several adult leaders in her scout troop, including Cara Kettler, Kendra Kennedy and Tiffany Davis.

Having started her scouting career in kindergarten, Bulman had plenty of positive memories to share when it came to her 12 years in Girl Scouts.

Bulman noted the strong friendships she’s formed with her peers over the years, also noting their fun and memorable trips to Camp Ondessonk or the many camping and float trips they’ve enjoyed.

Bulman also recalled a very recent trip to France and Spain with some members of her troop.

When it comes to this year’s summer camp, Bulman explained she got involved in leading the charge after being inspired by one of her friends doing so last year.

“My friend Norah Kettler, who is in my troop, she ran it last year for her Gold Award project because her mom and a couple of other ladies who are in our service unit took over the planning for it a few years back,” Bulman said. “She decided this could be a really good Gold Award project, and then after seeing her get into it and everything, I was like, ‘Wow, I really think this is something that I could do. It would be so much fun because I’ve gone to Girl Scout day camps every year since I started. We all really have.’”

Bulman reached out to the troop leaders soon after her interest was piqued, and she recalled them being tremendously supportive through the planning process.

That process, as she described, was rather extensive, as she – with plenty of help – brainstormed ideas for camp themes and potential visitors and activities.

Getting everything set up was a great undertaking, and there was also the matter of handling the paperwork and other formalities with the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois and the Waterloo Park District, which happily welcomed scouts back to Konarcik for yet another year.

“It’s a lot of planning and a lot of requirements for sure, but it finally pays off when you come to day camp week and everybody’s having a blast,” Bulman said. “You kinda keep your fingers crossed hoping everything goes smoothly, but it’s a lot of planning to make sure everything does go smoothly.”

Ultimately, Bulman and her fellow organizers landed on the theme of Girl Scout Whodunit Day Camp, with each day having something to do with mystery or investigation. She said she wanted to help get the girls involved to “think a little deeper about things.”

Bulman spoke positively about the week and how it all came together, recalling the busy day-to-day she and her fellow scouts experienced.

Guest visitors throughout the week included a magician, an American Sign Language interpreter who taught the Girl Scout Promise in ASL, a forensic toxicologist and K-9 units from the Waterloo and Cahokia police departments.

While Bulman reported a good response from the scouts that participated, her favorite part of the week was getting to see some  younger scouts succeed in their own way.

“For me, a highlight was having girls earn their Silver Awards through camp,” Bulman said. “Not only was I earning my Gold Award, but we had Kate Myers who was running badge work at camp, so throughout the week, she was guiding all ages of girls to earn specific types of badges to go along with the theme… And then we had Emma Elder and Clara House who were running arts and crafts throughout the week for everyone… They all did such a good job.”

With the chaos and fun of day camp now behind her, Bulman now has a bit more work to do before she properly receives her Gold Award, with some more paperwork as well as a final interview.

She commented that the only regret in her scouting career was not pursuing her own Silver Award amid the COVID-19 pandemic, though she emphasized her appreciation for all the support and encouragement she’s received as she’s pushed through for her Gold Award.

“It’s kind of surreal because I never really saw that I would continue Girl Scouts throughout basically my whole childhood,” Bulman said. “When I started, I was like, ‘Oh, this might just be a few years,’ but now that I’m here and realizing that I’ve stuck to it… It’s a very stressful award to earn or try to work for, especially with what myself and Norah Kettler chose to do for our Gold Awards, it was a lot. Being done is kind of bittersweet.”

Her mother Karla had high praise for Bulman, noting the effort she put into planning the event alongside her peers.

“She was pretty amazing coordinating so that other girls could work on awards as well as coordinating with the directors for the camp,” Karla said. “Anna considered doing a garden as part of her Gold Award, but she remembered how much fun Girl Scout day camp was when she was a Daisy in Kindergarten, and she knows that it’s cohesive, everybody wants to work together to make it successful and fun for the girls. She was smart about it.”

Karla added that Bulman’s father was also involved in the camp as a unit co-leader, and she served as camp nurse after Bulman requested she renew her CPR training.

Karla also noted that Bulman achieved all this during a very difficult time last week, with the family suffering a tragic loss with the passing of Bulman’s uncle.

Between dealing with that loss and persevering with her leadership through her Gold Award project, Karla stressed her praise for her daughter and the maturity she’s shown recently.

Bulman reiterated her satisfaction with this year’s summer camp and her time in Girl Scouts as a whole, speaking to the growth she’s experienced and the memories she’s made over the years.

“Girl Scouts in Waterloo is so much more than any other experience I’ve had in any other organization,” Bulman said. “It’s bittersweet that we’re to the end now with only one more year left. But I’m very grateful for any stress and any overwhelming feeling or excitement that I had throughout all of it.”