By Gary Lloyd
A work party volunteer event has been planned for Nov. 2 at Camp Gertrude Coleman in Trussville.
The volunteer event is for registered Girl Scouts only and will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participants should bring work gloves and sturdy shoes. Lunch will be provided. Most projects to be done can be accomplished with common hand tools, though hands-on instruction will be available. Girls will earn a work party patch.
Adults or parents in charge of groups must provide transportation to and from the event, parent permission and health history forms for each participant and have them at the event and ensure that all participants follow Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama policies and procedures.
The historical marker at Camp Coleman in Trussville
file photo by Gary Lloyd
Registration forms are available at www.girlscoutsnca.org and must be returned to the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, Attn: Volunteer Management Specialist, 1515 Sparkman Drive N.W., Huntsville, AL 35816. Forms may also be faxed to 256-882-1750 or emailed to aconger@girlscoutsnca.org.
Save Camp Coleman Secretary/Treasurer Brooke O’Brien said the GSNCA membership has been saying for the past year that it wants to help with maintenance of Girl Scouts camps in Alabama. Something similar was proposed through the Property Committee, including allowing volunteers to act as “leads” for each of the camps, she said.
“We’ve been asking for it for a long time,” O’Brien said. “Now it’s up to us to follow through and make it happen. This is our time to save the camps, and we will do it.”
The camp was to be closed for good on May 31 — part of the GSNCA’s three-phase property plan approved in May 2012 — but instead was rested. The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama board of directors in June unanimously voted in favor of a resolution to reconsider the three-phase property plan.
The resolution states that no GSNCA camp properties will be sold during the re-evaluation process pending the outcome of a new comprehensive strategic plan that will be developed for the organization. This plan will include obtaining new input from the membership, outside experts and community partners.
Camp Coleman is the longest continuously operating Girl Scouts camp in the state, in use for 88 years. The camp consists of 34 wooden structures and outbuildings constructed between 1925 and 1994. The camp is situated on approximately 140 acres along the Cahaba River.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
