Save the Date for the Southern Ground Senoia Social, Benefitting Camp Southern Ground
Join us Saturday, June 15th in Downtown Senoia (home of Zac Brown's Southern Ground Social Club) for an all-out block party filled with good music, great food and a whole lotta fun! Entry is FREE and the entire event benefits Camp Southern Ground.
This event begins at 1:00pm, with musical performances starting at 1:30pm and continuing throughout the evening. Chef Rusty, Cookie and the crew, along with other food vendors, will be there to feed you some great grub, and we'll even have a Kid Zone for your little ones.
Stay tuned for the music lineup announcement and more details in the coming weeks.
Want to sponsor this event? Contact a Camp Southern Ground team member by June 3rd at 770-681-0320, or via email at info@campsouthernground.org
Postcards from Camp
We are thrilled to introduce Camp Southern Ground's new blog, Postcards from Camp! Hear from the CSG team with updates and photos here.
Our first entry comes from Camp Southern Ground CEO Rob Parker. Rob tells us about the friendly exchange between his grandson Nicholas, diagnosed with autism, and Zac Brown, of Zac Brown Band, that illustrates one of the reasons Rob joined the team at Camp Southern Ground. Read about the story and why Rob wanted to be a part of this amazing adventure in "Is Zac the real deal" here!
Camp Southern Ground Names President & CEO
Camp Southern Ground has named Rob Parker as the Camp's first President & CEO, beginning May 1, 2013. Board Chairman and Founder Zac Brown said of Parker's hiring, "Rob Parker is a great asset to our organization. He is a true leader and has a tremendous appreciation for children and our mission at Camp Southern Ground. We are honored to have him be part of our family."
Parker, 52, is currently serving as the CEO of Ronald McDonald Charities of Southern California, which includes a year-round camp for children and families suffering from cancer. He is also the former CEO of Kiwanis International, and served for twenty years as a senior executive with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
"The opportunity to build a world-class camp and conference center is extremely exciting," said Parker of joining the Camp Southern Ground team. "When Zac shared his vision for a camp where children with special needs can play, learn and grow alongside children with typical needs, I knew this was for me." Said Camp Southern Ground Interim Director Jean Peck, "It's with great enthusiasm that we look forward to Rob's arrival. His experience and leadership will take Camp Southern Ground to new heights."
The board of Camp Southern Ground was advised throughout the search by BoardWalk Consulting, an executive search firm committed to "finding leaders that matter for missions that matter." The mission of Camp Southern Ground, currently being built on 500 acres of land near Fayetteville, GA, is to offer a summer camp and year-round retreat destination for children with diverse abilities and backgrounds, to learn life skills and teamwork in a positive, healthy and organic environment.
The Ram Jam Auction is On!
Through March 15th, you can bid on a Zac Brown Band Ram truck - that's been driven by Zac himself - with all proceeds from the highest bid going to Camp Southern Ground. See what Zac has to say about all this in his blog, and remember to get your bids in before they call it sold here.
Get in Gear: The Ram Jam Auction is Coming Soon!
Zac Brown Band will auction off Zac's own Ram truck on March 5th with all proceeds going to Camp Southern Ground! In the meantime, get a glimpse of why YOU should participate in this charitable auction here. Afraid you'll miss it? Sign up to receive an email reminder when the auction begins.
Camp Southern Ground Receives Big Rewards from Southern Living's 2012 Idea House
We're thrilled to announce that we've accepted a donation of more than $37,000 as the beneficiary of ticket sale proceeds from the 2012 Southern Living Idea House! We also want to extend a special thanks to House Manager, Susan Osborne for her dedication as well as Scott Tigchelaar and Brian Jagt of Senoia Enterprises, Inc. for their contribution as the developer of the Senoia-based Idea House, a farmhouse revival project.
"We're so grateful for this partnership and the chance it gave us to raise awareness about the camp with people from all 50 states," said Camp Southern Ground Interim Executive Director, Jean Peck. "I hope everyone who toured the Idea House will keep an eye on the camp's development and visit our website to learn how to get involved with our efforts."
Enter our Random Acts of Kindness Contest
To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, we're giving away two Zac Brown Band and Friends "Pass The Jar" CD/DVD combos signed by Zac Brown - one for you to keep and one to give away, just to brighten someone's day! All you have to do is share a Random Act of Kindness you've done lately and you're entered to win.
Good luck!
Keep on Truckin', Zac
Ram Trucks recently caught up with our very own Zac Brown to discuss the upcoming Ram Jam auction benefitting Camp Southern Ground. Zac also passionately describes our camp's true mission and how the trucks so generously donated from Ram will be put to good use both now and when we start accepting campers. Read more here: http://blog.ramtrucks.com
Watch This: Good as Sold!
You may have already heard that Zac Brown Brand, Jack Daniel's and Indian Motorcycles raised $200,000 for the camp by auctioning off two custom bikes presented by John Driskell Hopkins at the Barrett Jackson auction on January 17. But did you get to see it all go down? You can catch up on all the action here, complete with an introduction from Zac Brown: http://bit.ly/WGkwCa
ZBB, Jack Daniels and Indian Motorcycles raise $200K for Camp Southern Ground
On January 17th in Scottsdale, AZ, Zac Brown Band and Jack Daniel's raised $200,000 for Zac Brown's Camp Southern Ground by auctioning two Indian Motorcycles. The pair were presented by ZBB's John Driskell Hopkins as part of the Barrett-Jackson automobile auction, along with signed cookbooks and CDs, and other ZBB merchandise. A resounding thank you to all of our partners, supporters and to the auction winner, Lou Hutchison.
Great Truck, Great Cause
To show his support for Camp Southern Ground, Zac Brown is auctioning off the Ram Truck he's been driving for the past year. To show your support, we invite you to submit a bid! Zac's Ram goes on the block in March, and proceeds raised will go toward the development of the camp.To learn more about upcoming auction series, where Zac and four other performers from this December's Ram Jam will each auction off a truck to benefit a charity of their choice, please visit the Road to Ram Jam page at RamTrucks.com.
You can also watch the whole Ram Jam exclusive concert featuring Zac Brown Band on December 29th right here: http://music.yahoo.com/video/playlist/ram-country-ram-jam/.
Special Delivery from Camp Southern Ground
Spread some holiday cheer while you support the camp! Our limited-edition set of 12 holiday cards are printed on high-quality 5x7" cardstock with a matte finish, and each card features a different image of original artwork created by local Atlanta-area school children. And of course, proceeds from the purchase of this set goes toward the camp.Inside: From the littlest hands come the warmest wishes. Happy Holidays
Back: Portions of the proceeds from the purchase of this card go towards Camp Southern Ground.
Get yours before they're gone: http://bit.ly/CSGCards
$9,233 Raised for Camp Southern Ground on #GivingTuesday
For us, today is Thank You Wednesday. We simply cannot express our immense gratitude for the absolute outpouring of support you all showed on Giving Tuesday. Not only did you all come together and donate a grand total of $9,233 for the camp, but you also raised a massive amount of awareness about this cause.Please accept our most heartfelt thank you for all you've done and continue to do to help support Camp Southern Ground.
Touchdown for Camp Southern Ground
And the crowd goes wild for everyone who came out November 3rd for the Southern Ground Tailgatin' Show! Each and every one of you helped us score big for Camp Southern Ground, and every dollar raised puts us one yard closer to the goal line. Now that weÕve exhausted our database of football jargon, weÕd like to offer many thanks to our wonderful sponsors, including: ACE Group Private Risk Services, Private Client Insurance, Carhartt, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, Dr. Pepper, Homrich Berg, NASCAR Unites, Perkins + Will and Twitter. And of course, we are forever grateful for the unrelenting support of The Zamily. Remember, if you couldn't make it to Fayetteville, but would still like to help support Camp Southern Ground, text CSG to 50555 to make a $10 donation.
Thanks for the Ride
We'd like to thank event organizers Sigvaris and Atlanta Trek for hosting the Sigvaris Bike Ride and Fall Harvest Festival for Camp Southern Ground on Saturday, October 27th. Hundreds of people came out on the beautiful fall Georgia day, and the money raised at this event will be used to continue the development of Camp Southern Ground.
We are especially thankful for the support of our event sponsors, each of whom played a huge part in making this event such an enormous success: Sigvaris, Atlanta Trek, The Home Depot, The Dwarf House, GRAPHCOM, SMC3, W. Winston Briggs Law Firm (The Bicycle Lawyers), Integrated Science & Engineering, Solid Source Reality (Mike & Jessica), Priority Jet, Swofford Construction, Inc., ClearWater Academy, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Ferguson Heating and Air Conditioning Co. Inc., Prudential Realty (Kim Leedy), Daniel Hill Camp Photography, State Farm (Agent: Clay Van Meter), Southern Ground Social Club, Southside Cycling Club, More Than Moon Walks, ShenaniganÕs Toys and Todd & Krista Burrus.
Exclusive Tickets to See Zac Brown Band on Tour & Help Camp Southern Ground!
We're thrilled to announce a special program that Zac Brown Band is kicking off with Tickets-for-Charity® to offer fans some of the best concert seats in the house, while also benefiting ACM Lifting Lives and Camp Southern Ground!
- Get great seats in SOLD-OUT sections to see Zac Brown Band live on tour in a city near you...
- And get special access to Eat & Greets to rub elbows with Zac and nosh on Chef RustyÕs famous Southern Ground Grub before the show!
Learn more and check out tickets at www.ticketsforcharity.com
11 Alive interviews Jean about Camp Southern Ground
NBC reporter Julie Wolf interviews Jean. They discuss Camp Southern Ground and the inspiration behind it. Additionally, Zac's band member Coy Bowles (guitar/keys) is helping raise money for the camp via sales of his children's book "Amy Giggles". Watch the video Here!Camp Southern Ground Celebrates Victory in Camp Land Rezoning, December 2011
Camp Southern Ground won the unanimous approval from the Fayette County Board of Commissioners (BOC) to move forward with plans to build a world-class facility serving the special needs of children. Zac was on hand to speak before the BOC to present his intent for the camp. It was a historic moment for everyone involved to realize the dream of building this camp will become a reality."It was truly inspiring to witness the local community come together with such great support for Camp Southern Ground," said Zac Brown. "This project is something that I've always seen as my life's work, and our entire team looks forward to bringing this camp to life and to directly impacting children in a meaningful way."
Local community supports Camp Southern Ground
As we gain momentum with development of Camp Southern Ground, more and more local folks are discovering what a wonderful facility this will be for our community. Some of our business friends have banded together to support us through amazing acts of kindness.Accutech Systems Inc - www.accutechsystemsinc.com/ - At Accutech Systems Inc., their mission is to bring the best audio/video entertainment system and finest home control solution to your home. As your trusted electronic integrator, Accutech Systems will work closely with you to design and install your perfect system. Accutech, we thank you for your support!
ClearWater Academy - www.clearwateracademyga.org - Located in Fayette County, ClearWater Academy is a leader and pioneer in the state of Georgia and a national model for how children with learning differences should be educated. ClearWater Academy is a proud supporter of Camp Southern Ground and we thank them for their generosity.
Country Fried Creative - www.countryfriedcreative.com - a website and graphic design company - Thank you so much for volunteering your time and efforts to host and update our website in 2011. CSG proudly salutes you, Country Fried Creative!!
Two Doves Organic Farm - www.twodovesfarm.com - Larry and Twila Dove have been organic gardeners for many years now in Fayette County. They have been wonderful friends of Camp Southern Ground and have generously given their time to help create ways to bring organic fresh foods to the camp once we are operational.
CMT Offstage Spreads The Word About Camp Southern Ground
Catching up with country music artists behind the scenes, CMT Offstage reported on Zac Brown's plans for Camp Southern Ground.Read the article here >>
Letter from Zac Brown
To me, there is nothing more worthwhile than helping kids. I grew up working with kids while on staff at summer camps and remember how they were impacted during their visits. Their time at camp helped to make a difference in their lives and will last them a lifetime. Camp Southern Ground will work with special needs children while providing them with lodging and facilities to most effectively contribute to their rehabilitation. The highly trained staff will offer a wide variety of therapeutic activities that are designed to help stimulate the mind and body and encourage development, all in a beautiful setting. This is the year to get it started! Welcome to Camp Southern Ground...-Zac Brown