08/07/2026
💖 A HUGE THANK YOU FROM KNOXVILLE GIRLS ROCK CAMP! 🎸✨
A week ago was the end of another incredible Girls Rock Camp, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude.
This camp does not happen because of one person or one organization. It happens because an entire community shows up for young people. It happens because people donate, cook, build, print, repair, teach, perform, volunteer, encourage, and believe in what we’re trying to create.
So, from the absolute bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. 💕
🌟 A special thank you to Katina Sharp and Powell Presbyterian Church, and to Jig & Reel for helping make space for our camp and our community.
🍻 Thank you to our sponsor, Abridged Beer, for believing in what we do and supporting our campers.
🎟️ Thank you to Central Cinema and Pilot Light for your incredible support and generosity.
🥪 Thank you to everyone who helped feed our campers and volunteers:
Sweet P’s BBQ
Tomato Head
Steamboat Sandwiches
Pizza Hoss
🎸 Thank you to the folks who helped make the creative magic happen:
Mike Mullin Guitar Repair
Riot Printing
Shapes with No Names
Grow Free TN
Helen Ross McNabb
🛍️ Thank you to EVERYONE who purchased something from our wishlist! Every box, package, instrument, supply, snack, and little act of generosity made a difference.
💰 And thank you to everyone who donated to our GoFundMe! Your support helped us keep this camp accessible and possible.
🛠️ A gigantic thank you to the people who donated their time, skills, sweat, and labor:
Jay Nations
Seth Hopper
David Sellers
Rich Heizenberger
Hamilton McDonald
Harold Heffner
Lesley Starck
Jill Ellis
Josh Smyser
Scott Carpenter
🎶 Thank you to our amazing lunch performers:
Siren Sisters
Beth Loftis
Alison Swafford
Melanie LaFoy
Dirty Knees
🌈 And to our AMAZING camp volunteers:
Alison Swafford
Morgan Gilmer
Summer Shelton
Crystal Brauener
Haru Sauer Morish*ta
Jessica Russell
Melanie LaFoy
Alyssa Drake
You gave your time, your energy, your patience, your creativity, and your hearts to these kids. You showed up again and again, and we hope you know just how much that means to us.
🖤 And to our coordinator crew:
Stephanie Holley
Savannah Wolfgram
Sri Sheffield
Delia Gentry
Parker Sellers
Max Pirkle
River Rochelson
Elizabeth Wright
There were moments during the planning of this camp when things felt incredibly hard. Moments when we wondered if we could pull it off. Moments when the logistics, the exhaustion, the uncertainty, and the sheer amount of work felt like more than we could carry.
But then we saw the campers.
We watched them pick up instruments.
We watched them find their people.
We watched shy kids become louder.
We watched confident kids become leaders.
We watched friendships form.
We watched creativity take root.
And suddenly, every late night, every frantic email, every problem we had to solve, every hour of unpaid work…it was instantly worth it.
🎸 To our campers and their families and networks of support: THANK YOU. You trusted us with these incredible young people, and it is an honor we don’t take lightly. We hope every camper leaves knowing that there is a place in this world for their voice, their weirdness, their creativity, their anger, their joy, and their music.
And finally…
💖 THANK YOU to every single person who came out to support the campers at our showcase.
When you filled that room, cheered for those kids, danced, clapped, screamed, sang along, and celebrated what they’ve created, you were telling them something incredibly important:
You matter.
Your voice matters.
Your creativity matters.
And there is a place for you here.
That is what Knoxville Girls Rock Camp is about.
It takes a village to build something like this…and we are so incredibly grateful that this is our village. 🖤
With enormous love and gratitude,
Knoxville Girls Rock Camp 🎸🌈✨
