Jennifer "Nnifer" Schlick Emily "Butterfly" Garrick Ro "Ro" Woodard Inducted onto the Wall of Fame on April 6, 2024. Tribute by Jo Nelson
I’m not sure how many of us are left who were “a part of Timbercrest” when we first began in 1963 with day camp and 1967 with residence camp, but I do remember leaving camp in 2017 after our 50th reunion/anniversary with many happy and sad thoughts. Happy because I had seen and enjoyed so many friends, staff, and campers from those first 12 years I worked there, but sad because I, like so many others, saw that our beloved camp was in dire need of both routine and major maintenance. For me, it did not come close to being the pristine and beautiful camp I had last worked at in 1978.
The sadness that I felt did not last long because a little more than two months later, on October 6-8, 2017, Jennifer Schlick, her daughter Emily Garrick, and their friend Ro Woodard organized, publicized and ran the first Friends of Timbercrest work weekend. Good food, lots of laughing, singing, energy and enthusiasm were prevalent as the Lake Trail was worked on, the infirmary painted, the “buddy board” refurbished, firewood cut and stacked after trees were cut down to create a viewscape from Strawberry Hill Pavilion to Keyser Lake, and much, much more.
Friends of Timbercrest was born that weekend. Its mission is “to preserve, enhance, and promote promote Camp Timbercrest in partnership with GSWNY.” Now, seven years and 12 workweeks later, the venture organized by Jennifer, Emily and Ro, has dramatically and positively preserved, enhanced, and promoted Camp Timbercrest.
More than 100 campers, counselors, other staff and friends make up the FOT mailing list now. Small and large projects are completed every work weekend. Demolishing and building lean-tos, repairing latrines, clearing trails, putting up signs, organizing spaces with hooks and shelves, painting/staining/refinishing buildings and furniture, organizing the library and the boat shed, building foot bridges, blazing trails, and dozens of other projects have been completed and will continue to be done for years to come because three women cared about our camp and did something. The members of FOT have a passion for Camp Timbercrest and live all over the United States. That passion is exemplified in Jennifer, Emily, and Ro. They are responsible for all of the work and wonderful things that FOT has done, and they absolutely deserve to be installed onto our Wall of Fame. I am very happy to be a member and to help however I can and very, very pleased and proud of Jennifer, Emily and Ro, three Girl Scouts who stepped up when the need was there. They have such a powerful and positive impact on the camp that we all love.
Joanne E. "Jo" Nelson Camp Timbercrest Director 1969-1978
Jennifer "Nnifer" Scott Schlick Tribute by Donna Dolce, Camp Timbercrest Director 1989-1996
I first met Jennifer “Niffer” when she applied for and was accepted as a member of the Timbercrest Camp staff back in the 1980s. As an “older” counselor (given that everyone else was more or less of college age), she brought a wonderful combination of youthful exuberance and a bit more “motherly” maturity to her camp role. Niffer has always been a positive influence on the lives of young girls, sharing her enthusiasm for nature and carrying that into her professional role working with Audubon.
Although I did not see much of Niffer as I moved on to live in New Jersey, social media reconnected us and I could learn of her many talents and contributions to the Chautauqua County region. When she agreed to step into the role as coordinator for the Friends of Timbercrest, she demonstrated both that wonderful capacity to lead, motivate, encourage, while being highly organized and thorough throughout the process. It was through her combined efforts and networking skills that trails were refurbished, lean-tos built, and a positive relationship between the many girls and staff that were/are a part of Timbercrest and the newly configured council that we continue to provide this wonderful opportunity for the girls of today and for many years to come.
Congratulations Niffer and may you continue to provide inspiration for many more years to come. ---
Nnifer, Didi, Butterfly
Tribute by Diane “Didi” Powell
What impresses me most about Jennifer is that she actually thought up this Friends of Timbercrest thing to begin with. Then she stepped out and did it. I know she didn’t have a clue how it would work but she rallied forth anyway. Her momentum caused people to gather in her wake, make phone calls, drive endless miles with supplies, drop off, pick up, build, slop through mud, haul clean, cook, gather, fetch, clean again, bake, drive some more, engage husbands – and I don’t know what else – to be part of this dream. She saw a gap in the condition of this camp that she loved so much compared to what is necessary to enable other girls to love it as much as she does, and a mission was born.
As the founding mother of this organization who has guided it (and inspired us) through many bumps and bruises along the way, Jenn exemplifies superlative organizational and administrative skills. The need for fresh blood, new ideas, and a new way of doing things has forced her to review her role and determine what the best course of action should be for continued success for a new generation. I understand that exhaustion plays a role here, but very few people acknowledge that changes need to be made in order to ensure the success of what they themselves have created. Which amazes me.
I so appreciate what you have done, Jenn. I proudly nominate you for the Friends of Timbercrest Wall of Fame. Thank you from the bottom of my Girl Scout heart for your vision, your practicality, your administrative gifts, your work ethic, and your ability to not give up. Because this has been a tough haul. Nnifer, you have started something that has not only become the model for Girl Scout camps all over the country but will go forward into the generations. How cool is that.
Emily "Butterfly" Garrick
Emily "Butterfly" Garrick Tribute by Dawn "Otter" Cicchini
I don’t recall the first time I met Emily, but it was probably at camp. She’s in her element while exploring, learning, and teaching. I’ve had the great pleasure of learning from her and working beside her at camp, so I know her enthusiasm firsthand.
Emily has been a Timbercrest camper, counselor and fan for as long as I’ve known her. She’s been involved with Girl Scouting at camp, through the council, and with WAGGGS. Everywhere she goes, she makes a positive impact on the world. She comes by it honestly – she has worked alongside many wonderful role models.
Timbercrest’s 50th anniversary celebration was bittersweet. That Friends of Timbercrest not only began there but has been sustained and grown the last several years is thanks in no small part to Emily’s ongoing determination to engage my generation in this work. It’s hard – most of us have kids, pets, aging parents, grad school – a hundred reasons not to come to camp on rainy April weekends. Still she keeps networking, checking in, asking if we can make it next time. She won’t give up until we show up.
And then she’ll lead us through the woods, dig holes, clear trails, take charge of sing-alongs, direct our energy, and stay behind to clean up!
Emily is a wonderful advocate for scouting. She is honest, curious, empathetic, caring, and hard-working – truly an exemplary Girl Scout.
I wholeheartedly recommend Emily Garrick for the FOT Wall of Fame. ---
Tribute by Necole "Webster" Almond
Anyone who is a member of Friends of Timbercrest is sure to know “Butterfly,” or as her family knows her: Emily Garrick. As gleaned from a recent email from Emily, she was a camper at Timbercrest from 1995 to 2006 and staff from 2006 to 2011, notably working with the counselor-in-training (CIT) program. In 2017, as the council was celebrating 50 years of residence camping at Timbercrest, Emily became a founding member of Friends of Timbercrest, helping to establish an organization that “help[s] preserve, enhance, and promote the property for future Girl Scouts.”
My own children were campers at Timbercrest during Butterfly’s years as a camper and a counselor. They benefited from her modeling of campership, campcraft, nature stewardship, and Girl Scout history and ways. In what I have come to realize were her first couple of years as a staff member at Timbercrest, my children came home telling me all kinds of stories of “Butterfly, Monkey, and Spoot.” Butterfly made such an impact on my youngest, that as she was working on one of her Brownie Try-Its (Art-to-Wear), she made a t-shirt specifically for Butterfly. This camper-counselor relationship grew into one of passing along knowledge when my youngest became the CIT director at Timbercrest a few years ago. She reached out to Butterfly, and immediately the two connected to discuss ideas for how to build a successful summer for the Timbercrest CITs, and for the new CIT director.
I have personally benefited from Butterfly’s dedication to Timbercrest’s future. I worked for three summers at Timbercrest. Butterfly and I connected through song the first summer, and she never made me feel like an “odd-duck,” even though there was a significant age difference between us - we were sisters in Girl Scouting. I learned many songs from Butterfly and learned variations to songs I knew - and in turn, I taught some new songs and some variations; we even recorded a large part of the camp’s songbook one summer so that a CD could be made to be sent over the years to the staff. During my year as program director, Butterfly and I worked closely on camp program, striving to bring Girl Scout programming, environmental awareness, and fun to the wide age range of campers at each session. When Butterfly introduced me to Friends of Timbercrest, I knew I had to join to help spread the word of Timbercrest and keep fellowship with other lovers of the camp.
During Friends of Timbercrest work weekends, I have read of Butterfly’s many adventures, leading hikes, marking trails, clearing trails, cleaning/organizing the games shelves and program centers - you name it, her name can usually be found nearby. I have only been able to attend one work weekend so far, but during that time, Butterfly was often out in nature working - and I believe she has developed (or helped develop) a flora directory over these work weekends. In the evenings, she was busy leading campfire songs - reminiscent of our summers together.
I’m sure many members of Friends of Timbercrest have their own stories to share of Emily as a camper, as a staff member, and as a Friend of Timbercrest. For her dedication to the preservation, betterment, and future of Camp Timbercrest and to the organization of Friends of Timbercrest (by now taking on part of the leadership mantle), I recommend and nominate Emily Garrick for recognition by the Friends of Timbercrest.
Ro Woodard
Ro "Ro" Woodard Tribute by Donna Dolce, Camp Timbercrest Director 1989-1996
I first met Ro Woodard while still doing volunteer work as troop leaders in Fredonia, while she was a volunteer extraordinaire from Falconer/Jamestown. Ro and I frequently found ourselves as part of a “work team” bringing training to new leaders, programs to young girls, or wonderous “Senior” weekends. While Ro remained a vital and consistent volunteer force in support of Timbercrest, life would lead her to other parts of the state to raise a family and continue to volunteer with Girl Scouts from the Albany Council. On more than one occasion we would connect at some national meeting, compare notes, talk about the wonders that could be found in Chautauqua County and the greatness of Timbercrest. Even before her husband could retire, Ro had made it her mission to return to her roots in Chautauqua County and return to the wonders of Timbercrest and that she did with both barrels firing.
Partnering with Niffer and several of her former friends and colleagues, she demonstrated the ability to get things done, whether it was finding material and resources to first remove the falling down lean-to, finding men and women with no connections to Timbercrest to donate time, talent, and material, to opening up trails, building bridges, constructing lean-tos, and so much more. I am confident that Ro most probably spent several hours working alone at Timbercrest doing “little” projects that would make the camping experience for young people even that much more enjoyable, whether it was hanging hooks inside the tents or cleaning up the latrines.
Timbercrest was even the site of Ro’s wedding and I fully expect that when the time comes (hopefully decades from now) her ashes will be spread here as well. Ro not only needs to be on the Wall of Fame but should have been one of the first people so honored for her continuous commitment to both the girls and the beauty of this special property. ---
Tribute by Diane "Didi" Powell
We all love Camp Timbercrest, but I suspect Ro might love it just a little bit more than the rest of us and as a result, pounced on the idea that Jennifer birthed. Or maybe it is that she helped to feed the fire so it could become a reality. She is, after all, a pyromaniac in more ways than just building a campfire.
I cannot think of anyone I know in my life who is more steady, consistent, and persistent than Ro, or who works as hard. Her commitment is rare. There is no shortage of these traits in her Girl Scout history, both before Friends of Timbercrest and then later, in promoting and supporting FOT in its growth. She’s been Nnifer’s right hand woman these last 7-8 years and essentially, has been co-running these weekends. And we have all benefited! When Ro starts something, I either join in or step aside; there is no stopping her. Especially when it involves Camp Timbercrest.
Add her humor, her quiet humility, and her willingness to say yes to anything that promotes camp, girls, and FOT and you have a prime candidate for the Wall of Fame. Ro’s excellence and experience in programming ensures that any event she works on meets its goals and that people have fun doing so. Her own internal policy of “do the right thing and have fun doing it” is indefatigable. It prevails over all that she does. There are no sour apples on the job if Ro is involved. I suspect she will continue giving, working, imagining, and creating for many years to come with the best that she has to offer. Future Girl Scouts can rest on her efforts knowing that this camp and the programs she has helped create are not only a part of their Girl Scout experience and memories, but a springboard for their lives.
I am pleased to say that I know Ro from way back when and can laugh with her, talk with her, work with her. She has personally come alongside me and encouraged me many times; it has been a joy. Thank you, Ro, for many wonderful, silly, and crazy experiences in the out-of-doors. I am extremely proud to nominate you to the Friends of Timbercrest Wall of Fame.