From left are Liz Mardis, Connie Birdsong, Pam Callaway, Jonnie Mardis and Sarah Edwards, former Girl Scouts lobbying to keep the camp open.

A group representing people petitioning to save Camp Coleman in Trussville took their message to the Girls Scouts of North-Central Alabama, but the group was told the decision was already made.

Camp Coleman, the oldest continuously operating in the country, is slated to be phased out in the next year as part of a streamlining maneuver.

“This kind of decision deserves more than one year’s consideration,” Sarah Edwards, past president of the Girl Scouts for this region, said.

“What would one more look hurt?” said Pam Callaway, another past president, said at the entrance to the camp, joined by others hoping to keep it open.

The group would like to offer to raise money for an endowment to save the camp.

“This camp has the highest usage,” Edwards said. “Some camps are used very little. We (The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama) own six camps. This one is used the most. So we can extrapolate that this is the most popular camp.”

But the Girl Scouts cannot accept such an offer.  “A lot of our camps have their adorers,” said Hilary Perry, Director of Communication and Advocacy for the Girls Scouts of North-Central Alabama. “We appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm for Camp Coleman, it definitely shows how much this camp is loved and how many people it’s served over the years. Unfortunately we cannot accept designated gifts to save a particular camp. We can accept gifts to benefit our camp programs overall and our camp plan and we would love to have the community support for that.”

Liz Mardis has been coming to Camp Coleman for 21 years as a camper, staff member and leader. “This camp definitely was my home away from home. it was my safe place and it turned me into the person I am today and I want children of the future to have that opportunity.

The camp is going through its normal summertime motions and will do so throughout 2012.

“We’re operating Camp Coleman and we’re going to continue to run programs through the whole year,” Perry said. “There will be a chance for people to say farewell and we’ll do the final Fire Circle and that kind of thing [and other] things that are very special to Girl Scouts.”