New business holds back to school bash

BENNETTSVILLE — For owners Jimmy and Charlotte Campbell, their new business venture, Oasis RV and Campgrounds LLC, is truly their own oasis they want to share with Marlboro County. The couple has poured love, time, attention, and money into their haven and in June officially cut the ribbon on sharing their home away from home with the people of Marlboro. This past Saturday the couple kept giving back to the community going with a Back-to-School Giveaway Bash.

“We had about two weeks to put this together. Filling the book bags has truly been like an assembly line. Everything we do is worth it when you see the smile on kid’s faces,” says Charlotte. She adds, “We are a new campground under development, but we are excited to give back and support the community. We appreciate all the support and it’s great to build together!”

Each book bag given away contained earbuds, pencils, notebooks, composition notebooks, glue sticks, school papers, packs of pencils, erasers, rulers, chips, treats, calendars, planners, Pepsi products and even tokens from Brew and Bake for children and their families to stop by for a special end of summer treat.

Many people came together to help the Campbell’s plan this event, including Pepsi, Brew and Bake, Douglas Eatery, and President of the NAACP Ms. Betty Quick who donated school supplies for the giveaway.

“I came out today to support this new business. It is a beautiful location, and this is a really beautiful thing they are doing for the kids in our community,” said Quick. “The Campbell’s are helping to expose this county to new things and experiences, and I think we really need exposure to new things.”

Charlotte agrees, saying, “We want to use our 15 acres here to create some niche experiences for our guests. We are planning walking trails with different stations along the way for hot tubs, hammocks, lots of nature areas, as well as continuing to hold events welcoming the community to the Oasis RV and Campground.”

With their ribbon cutting now behind them, the Campbell’s are forging ahead with these plans, eager to hit the ground running. Charlotte says the couple is already working to install tiny houses on site for campers.

“We wanted to hold this event today to give back to this community that we feel has already done so much for us. We saw a need in the community and wanted to fill it,” shares Charlotte.

Prior to this venture, the couple worked in real estate, marketing, and as brand ambassadors for Polaris Adventures. The Campbell’s credit their time with Polaris Adventures as the reason they decided to open their own campground.

“With Polaris we got to travel all over, places like Tennessee, New Hampshire, Colorado, just all over. It really gave us the opportunity to work with campgrounds.”

With her background in marketing and her husband’s service in the Army, the couple knows they have the qualities needed to make their new venture successful and look forward to overcoming any challenges along the way. The campground is already equipped with brand new showers and restrooms, tent spots, and one hook-up so far for RVs, though the Campbell’s have announced with the electrical now run new hook-ups will be coming soon.

Also present for the Campbell’s’ Back-to-School Bash was Marlboro County Chamber President Alexa Boan and second in command, Gage Speight.

“This is a really great opportunity for the kids,” said Boan, adding “They get to come out, have a great time, and get the supplies they need to have a bright, successful school year.”

Newly selected as the Assistant President of the Chamber, Speight agreed, saying “This is a great community event hosted by Oasis. I don’t think we can have enough of these types of events in our community- there is always a need.”