The committee that oversees the Legionville School Patrol Camp for the American Legion Department of Minnesota has decided to cancel the 2020 season.
“It is with a heavy heart that this decision is made,” Legionville President Eugene Leifeld said in a news release. “Legionville is central to what it means to be a Legionnaire in Minnesota. We hope to return to full strength in 2021.”
“The safety and health of our campers is our No. 1 priority,” Department Commander Mark Dvorak said in the news release. “The decision to cancel was a difficult one, but it had to be made.”
The camp teaches school-safety patrol procedures, guidelines for intersections and bus patrols, and emergency bus safety to boys and girls all across Minnesota. Typically, the patrollers are entering fourth, fifth or sixth grade. The camp is a function of the Department of Minnesota (state level) but receives support from American Legion Posts and Auxiliary Units all across the state.
The first session was planned to begin June 14. The last would have ended Aug. 7.
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The camp welcomes more than 1,000 girls and boys each season over the course of seven sessions. Each session has a capacity of 168 and all sessions are co-ed. The American Legion operates under four pillars, and Legionville is part of the pillar for mentoring children and youth.
The Minnesota State Patrol and the American Legion teamed up in 1935 to begin a patrol program for youth. By 1948, the American Legion began to raise funds for a permanent training camp and purchased a site on North Long Lake near Brainerd.
“That camp today has provided many lasting memories for many Minnesota children and their families,” Leifeld said.
