KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians needs your help after their camp in Andersonville was badly damaged by recent storms.
Camp Tanasi means a lot to local Girl Scout troops. However, many troops have had to cancel several weekend trips because it’s just not safe for anyone to be on the property.
“Camp Tanasi became the Girl Scouts in the 1950s,” Lynne Fugate, CEO of the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians explained. “There’s a lease on the property. We have 400 acres, and it must be used for a camp.”
Camp Tanasi sits on Norris Lake and gives Girl Scouts across the area a safe place to explore.
“We have a resident camp in the summer, and then the girls use it on the weekends all throughout the year,” Fugate said. “There’s fishing, there’s paddleboarding, there’s canoeing, there’s a climbing tower, archery fishing, all kinds of things.”
However, a series of storms have halted their operations.
“It’s amazing what ten minutes of wind can do,” Fugate said. “We’ve had some pretty severe storms since December really that knocked the power out several times and we’ve been without power quite a bit, but this last storm snapped power poles in half, knocked down 500 trees and they fell on buildings, they took power out for two weeks.”
Tents, roadways, and buildings are now unable to be used.
“The camp has not been safe to have girls and families out there,” Fugate said. “So, we’ve had to cancel our weekend camping for the first several weeks and that will probably be canceled for the foreseeable future.
We’re working very hard and I’m sure we will be ready for summer camp but there’s just a lot of work going on at the sight.”
Usually, the revenue they make from day and weekend camps is what they use to help maintain the property, but without being able to hold activities, they need a little extra help so they can open back up for the summer.
“We really would appreciate help in getting our camp back up and running for our girls,” Fugate pleaded.
You can fill out the form to donate to the Girl Scout camp here. The council’s goal is to raise $10,000 by the start of camp season which begins in June.
