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Hike the Smokies raising money to send under-served high schoolers into the mountains

Organizers say many of the students they're working to help have never stepped foot in the Great Smoky Mountains before participating in the program.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Hike the Smokies is launching a fundraising effort to send under-served Knoxville students to spend several nights in the mountains at the Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont.

The group will treat Fulton High School students to a four-day, three-night camp at Tremont in August.

The students are part of the Environmental and Community Leaders Fellowship. 

The fellowship is a collaboration of the Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont and Fulton High School, a news release from Tremont said. The program selects 20 high school juniors and seniors every year who get to spend at least ten days living and learning in the national park. 

The students also attend 20 meetings at the school where they help plan and carry out community engagement projects every fall and spring to connect with the nature in their own backyards.

Organizers say many of the students have never stepped foot in the Great Smoky Mountains before participating in the program.

Credit: Tremont Institute

This April, students involved in the fellowship planned a community creek cleanup as a part of their spring community engagement project, Tremont's release said. The group collected 700 pounds of trash near their school at First Creek.

Hike the Smokies is selling a patch, sticker and magnet set for $10 to raise funds for the program. Click here to purchase the set. 

Click here for more information and to donate to the program.

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