Tremont Announces New Scholarship

(Great Smoky Mountains National Park) – Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is now accepting applications for the Michael Dale Scholarship for the 2007 Wilderness Adventure Camp.

Ken Voorhis, Tremont’s executive director states, “This scholarship fund was established by Michael’s family and friends to honor his memory after he was killed at the age of twenty-four by a drunk driver.” Voorhis continues, “As a new fund in Tremont’s endowment, we will be able to offer this scholarship to deserving campers for years to come.”

Michael Edwin Dale, originally from Lawrenceville, Georgia, attended Tremont’s Wilderness Adventure Camp for five years during the late 1990’s.

One scholarship valued at $440 will be awarded this summer to a deserving camper. To apply, a summer camp financial aid application, available from www.gsmit.org <http://www.gsmit.org> or by calling 865/448-6709 must be completed. Plus, the camper must write a letter expressing why they want to go to camp, what they will contribute and how they would benefit. The parent and/or guardian also must write a letter expressing the reasons why the child should receive this scholarship. Deadline for applications is June 1st.

This year, Tremont will host two sessions of the Wilderness Adventure Camp, June 11-16 and June 25-30. The scholarship recipient may choose either session. Each weeklong residential camp for ages 13-17 will teach the skills for planning and enjoying a safe and successful backpacking trip. A three-night backpack gives participants the chance to put these skills into ractice, experience a true wilderness, and make friends to last a lifetime.

In addition to this scholarship, Tremont offers financial aid to help cover partial costs for children from all backgrounds to participate in summer programs and connect with nature in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Twenty-two children received almost $6,000 in financial aid for the 2007
summer camps.

Michael’s grandfather, Edwin Dale, a retired teacher and frequent volunteer and presenter at Tremont, would bring him to and take him home from Tremont each summer. As told by Mr. Dale, “Michael’s first year at Tremont was remembered for the joy of being ‘out in the woods’ the new friends, the teacher/naturalists and the unconfined experience of carrying everything he needed in the pack on his back. Michael proudly recalled helping the younger and smaller kids when they struggled under the weight of their packs.”

To apply for or to donate to the Michael Dale Scholarship Fund, please contact Tremont at 865/448-6709, mail@gsmit.org <mailto:mail@gsmit.og>  or visit our Web site at www.gsmit.org <http://www.gsmit.org> for further information.

Since 1969, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has provided in-depth experiences to hundreds of thousands of people of all ages through residential educational programs designed to nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, celebrate diversity, and foster stewardship.
 
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