“At our special recruitment meeting this past Monday night, we had nearly 100 people show up, youth and adults, so we are really pleased with how well the community is responding to the good things we are trying to do,” Joe Long said in an email.
Trail Life members Saturday plan to install more blue bird boxes on the Roanoke Canal Trail, Long said, “and hopefully finish helping them establish a habitat for the birds as part of their conservation efforts.”
Meanwhile, Long said, the organization received news today of a new camp facility in South Carolina that will be close enough for local members of the program to use.
The nation organization announced today it was the recipient of a 127-acre campsite outside Greenville, South Carolina. “This new camp facility is near enough to us to be a great asset to our program as we continue the fantastic growth we have been experiencing,” Long said.
The property, the national organization said, contains houses, dormitories, a gym, commercial food prep facility and chapel. The organization was also granted an endowment sufficient to operate the facility.
"This camp property and the endowment are generous gifts that fit with our core value to remain debt averse," said John Stemberger, chairman of the TLUSA Board of Directors. "At the same time, it gives us a central, accessible location from which to better train youth and adult leaders in conducting our robust outdoor program."
Trail Life USA was chosen after a national search for an organization that aligned with the values of the late Charles W. Aiken, a renowned South Carolinian who founded the camp in 1958. The camp will be called Camp Aiken in his memory.
TLUSA Chief Executive Officer Mark Hancock said, "This camp gift is just in time, as our growth reaches almost 500 Troops in 48 states approaching 16,000 members — all of this in less than nine months. The addition of these facilities and campgrounds in the first year greatly expands our ability to fulfill our mission to guide generations of courageous young men to honor God, lead with integrity, serve others, and experience outdoor adventure."
