January 13, 2026

Coral Gables Garden Club Continues Its Support of Camp Mahachee Restoration with $25,000 Donation

The Club presents the first $5,000 installment of a five-year commitment to the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida’s “Plant It Forward” campaign at the historic Camp Mahachee.

CORAL GABLES, FL [January 13, 2026] – The Coral Gables Garden Club kicked off the new year at the hidden gem and treasured Camp Mahachee with a donation to the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida. Joined by Garden Club Board Members, Bonnie Seipp, President of the Coral Gables Garden Club, presented Chelsea Wilkerson, CEO, and Haley Karl, Development Director, Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida with a check for $5,000, which is the Garden Club’s first donation as part of their recent $25,000 commitment ($5,000 per year for five years) to build on the Garden Club’s long-standing commitment to preserving and restoring South Florida’s native landscape.

Nestled in Coral Gables on Old Cutler Road, Camp Mahachee was purchased in 1945 by the then-named Girl Scouts of Dade County for $3,337 with money raised from cookie sales from Girl Scout troops. The 11.5-acre campgrounds, located across from Matheson Hammock Park and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, features a lodge, full kitchen, bathhouse, eight cabins, campfire sites, meeting spaces, and a hardwood hammock. The beloved campsite has hosted thousands of Girl Scouts since 1948.

Throughout the years, this lusciously landscaped site became overrun with invasive plant species, which blanketed the front area and caused several parts to fall into disrepair. In 2023, through a grassroots fundraising effort spearheaded by the Coral Gables Garden Club, more than $150,000 was raised from numerous organizations in our community. As a result, 1.5 acres of vines and collapsed forest were removed and replaced with 1,400 native hardwood trees planted on site.

To continue the mission, the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida’s Camp Mahachee “Plant It Forward” Campaign aims to plant 10,000 additional native trees while also raising funds to restore the camp’s historic environment for future generations of Girl Scouts.

“As one of the first community organizations to support this campaign, the Garden Club’s $5,000 per year (five-year) commitment will enable us to play a vital role in the long-term success of this transformative project and follows our previous contributions to Camp Mahachee which included support to clear invasive species, creating a pollinator patch and gathering area with fountain near the entrance. We’re thrilled to help the Girl Scouts with the restoration of Camp Mahachee as it holds a special place in the hearts of many of our members as they and/or their daughters camped there as Girl Scouts,” said Bonnie Seipp, President of the Coral Gables Garden Club.

“We are grateful for the Garden Club's long-standing partnership with Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida,” said Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida CEO Chelsea Wilkerson. "Supporting Camp Mahachee will help ensure the camp remains a beautiful, safe space for girls to experience the outdoors for years to come and more.”

Haley Karl, Director of Development for the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida, expressed appreciation for the Club’s leadership: “The Coral Gables Garden Club helped kick-start our restoration work at Camp Mahachee, and their continued generosity ensures that this treasured space will flourish for years to come.”

The Coral Gables Garden Club, founded in 1925, has been a cornerstone of community beautification and environmental education for a century. Through civic projects, educational outreach, and conservation efforts, the Club continues to make Coral Gables a greener, beautiful, and more sustainable city.

For more information about the Coral Gables Garden Club, visit https://www.coralgablesgardenclub.org/
For more information about the Camp Mahachee Plant It Forward Campaign, visit Plant it Forward: Sponsor a Tree at Camp Mahachee

MEDIA CONTACT

Coral Gables Garden Club
Dinah Marzullo
(786) 514-0145

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