By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — An online fundraiser has been started to help preserve Camp Gertrude Coleman in Trussville for current and future Girl Scouts.
A new fundraiser posted by the Friends of Camp Coleman group at www.gofundme.com/Camp-Coleman is seeking ,000 to help preserve the legacy of the Girl Scouts camp.
“Help Friends of Camp Coleman raise the funds needed to continue the work that the brave women of the 1920s started when they formed this camp and named it after their wonderful and caring friend, Gertrude Coleman,” part of the fundraiser states.
Friends of Camp Coleman was established in 2012 and exists to preserve Camp Coleman and its outdoor opportunities in order to build girls of courage, confidence and character now and in the future. It’s a 501(c)3 nonprofit that raises money to help with repairs, improvements, programming and volunteer coordination for activities at Camp Coleman.
At the May 9, 2012, Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama Board of Directors meeting, a 13-4 board vote approved of divesting the Camp Coleman property as part of Phase 2 of the group’s property plan. The board of directors in May 2013 approved an amendment to its three-phase property plan, which rested Camp Coleman instead of closing it permanently.
The board of directors on Nov. 20, 2013 unanimously approved a resolution to allow the closed and rested camps to be re-opened on a limited use basis. “Limited use” means that no staff, instructors or services will be provided and that troops will be responsible for bringing their own equipment and supplies. Camp Coleman re-opened Jan. 15 on a “limited use” basis.
Camp Coleman, in continuous since 1925, consists of 34 wooden structures and outbuildings constructed between 1925 and 1994.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.