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Jo Nelson is turning 80!
​Let's Celebrate!

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Joanne E. Nelson
To be inducted onto the Wall of Fame in May 2023

Joanne Nelson will turn 80 on March 23, 2023! We are celebrating this milestone with a drive to bolster the fund she established in 2019 at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. Named the "Girl Scouts of WNY Maintenance Fund," the interest from this pot of money is awarded annually to the Girl Scouts of Western New York for outdoor maintenance and enhancements to the Jamestown Service Center (aka Horton Hill) and Camp Timbercrest in Randolph NY.

The fund drive runs through March 31 (though you can continue to give at any time). The results of this special birthday fund drive will be announced at a luncheon following the Horton Hill Do It Day on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

You can honor Jo by attending and helping at Do It Day, and/or by donating to the fund at CRCF.
  • Click here to donate.
  • Click here to email us to send a greeting, and/or to RSVP for the Do-It Day work session, the luncheon, or both.

​If you don't know Joanne, here is a bit of her back story:

Joanne "Jo" Nelson is a force of nature. If she can't "git-r-done" herself, she'll find those who can and support them. She states her personal mission: "to continue to make a difference in our community by doing whatever I can to ensure that people's needs are met."

After earning her Bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport, Jo landed a job at Frewsburg Central School where she taught health and physical education to grades 4 through 12 and ran the inter/intramural programs from 1965 through 1968.

A 1970 Master's degree in Health Education from the University of Buffalo led to a position there as physical education instructor, coach of women's swimming, and coordinator of intercollegiate athletics for women.

Jo stayed at UB from 1970 through 1973, at which time she took a position at the Chautauqua Area Girl Scout Council as Assistant Executive Director / Director of Camping Services. During this time, she earned a second Master's degree - this one in Outdoor Teacher Education from Northern Illinois University.

From 1980 through 1984, Jo was Director of the Chautauqua County Youth Bureau. And from 1984 through 2005, Jo served as Executive Director for the Chautauqua County Blind Association.

Jo may have stopped "working" in 2005, but it is misleading to say she "retired." She has continued to be very active in her community - through her church, by teaching exercise classes, and with the Girl Scouts of Western New York.

She has been a loyal member of the Friends of Timbercrest since its inception, and used it as inspiration to form the Friends of Horton Hill (FOHH). Through FOHH, she has begun to restore the 49-acre property's trail system and day camp gathering spots. In 2022 Jo served as director for the first Girl Scout Day Camp in the Jamestown area in approximately 15 years. Thank you, Jo, for bringing Day Camp back to our region!

​Click an image below to start a slideshow of images of Jo - hard at work and having a blast!

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Friends of Timbercrest preserve, enhance, and promote Camp Timbercrest in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Western New York.
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This website is owned and operated by the Friends of Timbercrest (FOT). It is not an official website of GSUSA or GSWNY.

FOT works in partnership with GSWNY to preserve, enhance, and promote Girl Scout Camp Timbercrest so that it may always be a place where girls can connect with nature, try new things, and build confidence & self-reliance.
  • Home
  • Donate
  • Tidbits
  • Resources
  • Projects
    • Archery Training
    • Build a Bridge Campaign
    • Camp Library Campaign
    • Picnic Table Campaign
    • Lean-to Project
    • FOT Award
    • Wall of Fame >
      • Mary Cooper
      • Mary Alice Campbell
      • Virginia Booth Tener
      • Judith "Scottie" Andrews
      • Sally Patchen
      • Joanne Nelson
    • Friends of Horton Hill
  • Join Us / Contact
  • Horton Hill Day Camp
  • Blog