When most of the campers point their RVs south for the winter, Nancy Stearns and a handful of other women who stay at Unicoi Springs Camp Resort still keep busy. They are the skeleton crew of the Unicoi Ladies’ Outreach group, which Stearns recently started to bring the women of this member-owned RV park together as well as give back through various service projects in and around Helen. While Stearns calls the group a “seat of the pants” kind of thing — people come and go all the time — the women are making an impact in this community in the North Georgia Mountains.
Q: You live in your RV at the resort year-round? You must like to camp?
A: We do live here and my husband and I have always liked to camp. He was diagnosed with a type of leukemia a few years ago and that is when he decided to retire. I had a cleaning service for 24 years that I handed down to my daughter. We really love this place. It has a huge clubhouse, two swimming pools, and basketball, tennis, shuffleboard and volleyball courts. This is a great, family-oriented place.
Q: What’s the campground like this time of year?
A: During the summertime, there is a mix of single couples, families with children, grandparents with grandchildren, and retired couples who come. Right now, there are probably six ladies here. At our first meeting of the Unicoi Ladies' Outreach group, we had 23 ladies. The campground has a very transient population.
Q: Given that, why start the Unicoi Ladies’ Outreach group?
A: The men here play pool and fish and I decided that we should do something just for the ladies. We started out with tea and crumpets and a time to sit and visit and get to know each other. I thought we would try this once a month and see how it works. Some of the men asked if they could join. We said no. This is ours.
Q: How did the idea to do various service projects come up?
A: There are so many ladies who like to give back and have so many talents. People were talking about organizations and places that they support. We decided that everyone would write down a place that was dear to their hearts. Each month, we draw from a hat and do something for that next month to support that cause.
Q: What are some of the causes you have supported?
A: Our first donation was for the Aflac Cancer Center at Egleston in Atlanta. We collected skeins of yarn and made caps for the children. We have restricted the other projects to White County where the campground is located. We have gathered up coats, shoes, socks, hats and gloves for the Head Start program in Cleveland. We made lap mats for an Alzheimer's unit at the senior center here. The mats have different textures and items for the patients to feel to find comfort. This month, we have gathered items for a battered women's shelter. In January, we will be gathering various items for one of the local nursing homes. We always contact the facilities and obtain a list of what their need is before gathering the donations.
Q: It sounds like you are trying to create a community at the campground?
A: There are people who come and just want to hike, go to surrounding venues or have a quiet vacation and that is fine. There are also those who have a desire to be part of a social group and participate in projects like ours while vacationing. This is an open door for any of those people.
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