As Girl Scouts celebrate 113 years, a local camp asking for community help
MARTINEZ, Ga (WJBF)- Wednesday, the Girl Scouts of America is celebrating its 113th birthday. Camps across the country are preparing for an influx of girls, except for one local one.
The Girl Scouts are wrapping up cookie season and preparing to head to camp. But with tens of thousands of dollars of work to do on Camp Tanglewood, it's not likely it will be open in time for summer camp.
'I mean, 113 years of legacy. And that is amazing,' exclaimed Shawn Risher, Community Engagement Manager for Girls Scout of Historic Georgia.
Girl Scouts is a global organization that empowers young girls to become leaders in their communities. But the organization had humble beginning, starting in Savannah with 18 girls on March 12, 1912.
'All the volunteers and all the staff work really hard to give the girls such a positive pathway into entrepreneurship and self-motivation and, you know, just willingness to be that empowered young lady,' Risher said.
Cookies and camp are two words that are synonymous with Girl Scouts. Camp Tanglewood in Martinez has been a fixture for more than 80 years.
During Helene it sustained major damage, losing 11 structures. For many who love the camp– seeing the damage was devastating.
'We were actually supposed to be camping the day after, our troop and another troop. We were supposed to be camping there. The cabins we were going to be in had a tree in it. And so just shock and awe and it still, like, makes me cry or get teary, because that would have been awful. But then all the memories,' explained Mona Cox, Youth Coordinator and Troop Co-Leader.
We checked in with Camp Tanglewood in November and saw the devastation for ourselves. Now, 4 months later, the camp looks much different with the storm debris cleaned up.
'We've got most everything cabin wise and structure wise tore down and ready to be replaced. We're just waiting on the proper channels to clear up,' said Risher.
The Girl Scouts organization has insurance on the camp, but Risher explained that it's not enough to cover the cost of the work. They've set up a GoFundMe, asking for the community's help to raise the $50,000 they still need to rebuild.
'These cabins that were destroyed are being replaced at the value of those cabins. So, you know, you can imagine how old those cabins were. So we you know, we just need a little extra help.'
While they won't be open in time for summer camp, the organization is hoping to be ready for one of it's big annual events in September.
'It gives you hope. Everything's going to be okay. It's all going to work out. We're going to rebuild. We'll make new memories. Everything's going to be fine,' said Cox.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like to make a donation to the cleanup effort at Camp Tanglewood, you can find their website HERE and the GoFundMe page HERE.
Also, in honor of its birthday, the Girl Scout of America will be gifting baby girls born March 12, 2025 with a year of membership once they turn 5. Locally it will be given to baby girls born at Doctors Hospital.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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