Historic Outdoor Therapeutic Girls’ Camp Hosts Annual Community Fish Fry

Eckerd Connects’ E-Nini-Hassee, a not-for-profit therapeutic school for girls, is hosting its annual Fish Fry Musical Extravaganza on Thursday, March 22, 2018. The event will run from 3:30 to 7pm. and feature music, full entrees, campus tours, and crafts.

The girls host the event in hopes of raising money for scholarships. E-Nini-Hassee, which means “Her Sunny Road” in the Seminole Indian language, has hosted the fish fry for more than a decade and many friends and community members look forward to attending each year.

“We teach our girls a lot about service and fellowship, and this event is an opportunity for all of them to do just that,” says Jo Lynn Smith, camp director. “We’re doing more than serving fish—we are meeting new people and communing with them over a good meal. There is something very powerful about that.”

Guests can expect a hearty meal of fried fish, coleslaw, hush puppies, grits, baked beans, dessert and fresh iced tea. The girls at the camp serve guests with a smile and provide tours of the 840-acre campus at sunset. The youth and staff have also prepared handmade crafts to sell. Donations of $10 are encouraged.

E-Nini-Hassee was founded in 1969 by Jack and Ruth Eckerd with the purpose of helping adolescent girls who experience behavioral and emotional difficulties. The outdoor therapeutic school delivers fully accredited education and counseling services in an environment that fosters personal and holistic growth. The camp is one of the most established of its kind in the entire Southeast.

The annual fish fry will be held on the tranquil E-Nini-Hassee campus at 7027 E. Stage Coach Trail, Floral City.