From outdoor group activities, to simply enjoying the beauty of nature is what keeps bringing hundreds of young scouts to Camp Perry each year.
The site has stood on the banks of the Arroyo Colorado in Cameron County since 1927 and works to provide boys, and now girls, in the Rio Grande Valley the best possible outdoor scouting experience.
This year the campsite has some noticeable upgrades. The changes are part of a five-year project to make improvements to the campsite.
According to Rudy Gonzalez, scout executive from the Rio Grande Council, the project was completed in nearly two years after receiving a total of $6 million dollars in pledges.
While the donations were helpful to jump start the project, the project being completed on a shorter timeline is causing some unforeseen problems.
“The average gift was for 5 years, we did have some donors that payed everything up front but the majority were for 5 years,” Gonzalez said.
Pledge money comes in from those donors at different times: monthly, yearly or quarterly depending on the donor.
“We had one loan. With pledges, we’re not allowed to pay contractors with pledges because that just a promise that people are going to give us that pledges,” he added. “So we did have to pull a million and then we’re going to use the pledges to pay off that million.”
Gonzalez says more projects are planned to continue to give scouts the best experience possible.
“Consider helping us out. All that money we raise here locally stays here in the Valley,” Gonzalez said.
The renovations to Camp Perry include a new dining hall. That space is now available for the public to rent for any occasion.
