Morgan Wallen Foundation grant to kids to camp near Tennessee-Kentucky border

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A $15,000 grant from Morgan Wallen’s charitable foundation is sending 35 children from underserved communities to a camp with specialized music and arts instruction.

The Salvation Army Knoxville Area Command announced that it had received a grant from the Morgan Wallen Foundation. The $15,000 grant will fully cover the cost for 35 children to attend Camp Paradise Valley, a camp and conference center owned and operated by the Salvation Army Kentucky and Tennessee Divisional Headquarters.

The children from Knoxville and the surrounding counties who are attending through the Morgan Wallen Foundation’s grant will be attending camp between July 7-11 and July 14-18.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Morgan Wallen Foundation for investing in the lives of young people in our region,” said Major Cameron Henderson, area commander of The Salvation Army Knoxville Area Command. “For many of these children, this will be their first time attending camp and exploring music and the arts in such a hands-on way. It’s more than a week away—it’s a chance to discover their talents, build confidence, and just be kids.”

According to The Salvation Army’s website, Camp Paradise Valley was founded in 1972 and is nestled among 400 acres on the Tennessee-Kentucky border and Dale Hollow Lake.

The summer camp program is for children between the ages of 7 and 12 years old.

There are two types of camps: Community Camps, which include campers who are referred by social services agencies, and Salvation Army Camps, which are operated by youth groups sponsored by The Salvation Army and include programs such as Girl Guards, Sunbeams, Explorers, Rangers, & Music Conservatory.

This isn’t the first time Wallen’s foundation has made headlines. In 2023, the Gibbs alumni made a $35,000 donation to benefit his alma mater’s music and baseball programs. The following year, the foundation gave $140,000 to renovate the Gibbs Youth Sports facilities. Then, in September of 2024, when Hurricane Helene devastated states in the southeastern U.S., the Morgan Wallen Foundation donated half a million dollars toward relief efforts through the Red Cross.