CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 12/06/16

Georgia 4-H joins governor, first lady at opening ceremonies for new Camp Jekyll

By Josh Paine

Jekyll Island, Ga. — For some Gwinnett County seventh grade students, it may be their first time to Georgia’s coast. For others, it may be their first overnight trip without family. However, they will all be part of the first official group to attend Georgia 4-H environmental education camp at the new Camp Jekyll on Feb. 1.

The new, $17 million state-of-the-art campus was dedicated on Dec. 5, 2016, during opening ceremonies led by Governor Nathan Deal, first lady Sandra Deal, Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) Director James Hooks and State 4-H Leader and Director Arch Smith, alongside local 4-H club members and state 4-H board officers.

“This new facility is a place to visit, study and learn for all the youth of Georgia, and those beyond its borders,” said Deal. “The heart of this camp is education…[it] is a magnificent opportunity for youth to understand that there is a big world to explore. Young people are in a very impressionable part of their lives. Many of them have never had the opportunity to even see the ocean. So this is a tremendously important facility.”

Funding for the project was proposed by Gov. Deal following a 2013 visit to the center and voted into the FY14 budget by the state legislature.

The new JIA-owned facility can house up to 256 guests at a time and will continue to be managed day-to-day by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development program. Richard Chewning, who served as program coordinator for the center for nearly a decade, has been named director of the camp, and Lauren Nys will oversee environmental education programming.

This reopening of the camp continues the legacy of 4-H programming and events held at the site from 1983 to 2014. Camp Jekyll will again host residential environmental education programs during the school year and week-long camps during June and July.

“Georgia 4-H is pleased to be continuing our relationship with the Jekyll Island Authority at Camp Jekyll,” Smith said. “We appreciate Governor Nathan Deal's commitment to make this wonderful new facility a reality. We are also excited to welcome other K-12 youth groups to rent and use Camp Jekyll.”

More than 15 acres of the campus includes a learning center – honoring Sandra Deal for her commitment to youth education – that has a 300-seat auditorium, classrooms and offices; two 64-bed and four 32-bed cabins; one 14-bed staff cabin with two private live-in apartments; one 300-seat dining hall; two outdoor pavilions; a basketball and volleyball area; and a maintenance building. A dune crossover for beach access was partially renovated and extended to total 1,080 feet.

The historic pavilion, home to the camp’s canteen and gift shop, is the one structure that was preserved and restored. It was constructed in 1955 as a place for African-Americans to visit the then-segregated beach.

The site was originally home to the Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel that opened in 1959. Many famous musicians visited the Dolphin Club lounge and restaurant, including B.B. King. It closed in 1966 and was leased by the JIA to UGA for use as a 4-H center summer camp in 1983.

In 1987, the program was expanded to include year-round environmental education programs. More than 279,000 students have participated in classes like beach ecology, herpetology, seining and more since the 4-H program began at Jekyll.

For more information or to schedule a group, visit www.jekyll4h.org. To see more photos of the dedication and camp, visit www.tinyurl.com/campjekyll.

Josh Paine is a marketing specialist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Josh Paine
Experts/Sources:
Arch D. Smith
Governor Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal gathered with the Jekyll Island Authority board, 4-H staff members, local 4-H'ers and state 4-H board officers for the opening of Camp Jekyll. Governor Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal cut the ribbon to open Camp Jekyll along with 4-H staff members, local 4-H'ers, state 4-H officers and Jekyll Island Authority board members on Dec. 5, 2015. The Learning Center, named in honor of Sandra Deal for her commitment to youth education and vision for the camp, is the cornerstone of the campus, with a 300-seat auditorium, four breakout rooms, labs and offices. The Camp Jekyll Historic Pavilion is the only structure that was saved and restored from the original facility on the site. Built in 1955, it welcomed African Americans to the segregated beach as a place to congregate and picnic. It was later used as the 4-H center's canteen and gift shop. Aerial overview map of Camp Jekyll which totals nearly 16 acres and includes 12 new buildings.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
The 2022-2023 Georgia 4-H student board poses with green slime-covered Georgia 4-H Leader Melanie Biersmith after the 2023 $4 for 4-H celebration. Biersmith has agreed to subject herself to the slime again this year if the $74,444 goal is reached. CAES News
Support Georgia 4-H with a $4 gift on April 4 04/03/24 Josie Smith
The Georgia 4-H Foundation is encouraging friendly competition between 4-H supporters in each county in Georgia to benefit positive youth development during the “$4 for 4-H” fundraiser on April 4. In what has become an annual tradition, each Georgia county asks local donors to make online donations of $4 or more that day, with the goal of receiving at least four donations per county. Counties that receive four or more donations will turn green on a Georgia map that will be updated throughout the day on social media April 4.
The First Flock was established at the Georgia Governor's Mansion in July 2021. CAES News
Inaugural First Flock retires to 4-H center as 15 new hens move to Governor’s Mansion 03/18/24 Josie Smith, Lily Thomas
Georgia’s inaugural First Flock is retiring to Fortson 4-H Center almost three years after they came to roost at the Governor’s Mansion in 2021. Six members of the original flock traded places with 15 new hens during a ceremonial swap on Feb. 1 at the First Flock’s custom coop on the eastern side of the 18-acre mansion grounds in Atlanta. The idea for the project was hatched in 2020 when Georgia first lady Marty Kemp expressed her desire to include agricultural education via residential hens at the mansion.
web Capitol Day Group Photo on Oglethorpe Stairs CAES News
4-H’ers see leadership in action during Georgia 4-H Day at the Capitol 02/28/24 Josie Smith
The gold dome of the Georgia Capitol was complemented with shades of green on Feb. 14 as 4-H youth and adult leaders joined elected officials for the largest Georgia 4-H Day at the Capitol on record. With nearly 700 in attendance, outstanding 4-H’ers from counties across the state gathered to engage with legislators, observe leadership in action and learn about the civic process.
gwinnett county extension CAES News
Metro Atlanta Extension office growing capacity to reach diverse audiences 02/21/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
As the population of Gwinnett County approaches the 1 million mark, with a highly diverse demographic profile, the county's University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office is preparing to serve its changing constituency effectively. Recently, the Gwinnett County Extension Program received a $250,000 budget increase from the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners to increase staffing and expand community educational outreach and engagement to underrepresented groups around the county.
As drug overdoses linked to opioids continue to rise, rural communities in particular struggle to control the epidemic. CAES News
Extension project focuses on education, outreach to address opioid crisis 11/27/23 Cal Powell
As drug overdoses linked to opioids continue to rise, rural communities in particular struggle to control the epidemic. More than 75% of the nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid, with higher rates of poverty and a lack of resources in rural areas being a significant factor in the alarming trend. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is working with rural communities to address the issue, thanks in part to a three-year $350,000 Rural Health and Safety Education grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Warnell professor Kris Irwin (right) helps campers set leaf-litter traps to capture macroinvertebrates, small amphibians and other organisms during Georgia 4-H Natural Resources Exploration Camp at Rock Eagle 4-H Center. CAES News
Georgia 4-H offers new Natural Resources Exploration Camp 10/17/23 Josie Smith, Alyssa Haag
A dozen 4-H’ers from around Georgia were the first explorers to experience Georgia 4-H’s newest summer program — Natural Resources Exploration Camp — and learn about wildlife, forestry, fisheries and other natural resources from University of Georgia faculty.