Eric Knudsen knows how to build fences. But the local business owner wants to build something else, community support for Camp Casey, the outdoor-education program for Tahoma School District’s fifth-grade students.

Knudsen, who owns Signature Development in Enumclaw, is providing preconstructed fence panels that are being sold at wholesale prices to raise $10,000 for the Business for Tahoma Schools Foundation, which is helping raise funds to pay for Camp Casey.

“I have heard nothing but wonderful things from my niece and nephews about Camp Casey,” Knudsen said. “My son Matthew will be attending this year as well as his younger brother Andrew in a couple years. I want to see the program continue.”

Knudsen has already sold some of the panels and is confident more sales will follow. He has already delivered a check for $5,000 to the foundation and hopes to raise the full $10,000 soon.

Knudsen and his wife, Renee, decided to donate the fence panels after attending a Camp Casey parent meeting where they learned that budget reductions eliminated the school district’s usual contribution to Camp Casey.

Despite efforts by PTA groups to raise funds, much more help is needed to reach the goal of $41,000 that will guarantee this year’s fifth-graders will attend the camp. Knudsen stood up at the meeting and offered to sell the fence panels and donate the profits to Camp Casey.

Because Knudsen is a manufacturer and not a retailer, he enlisted the help of Johnson’s Home and Garden at Four Corners to sell the panels. Johnson’s will not profit from the sales.

The panels are on display in the parking lot behind the Johnson’s Home and Garden, selling for $39.97 per panel. The fence panels are available until the end of January or until they are sold out, whichever comes first.

Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation to the Camp Casey fund can do so by contacting Barbara Kennedy, director of business for Tahoma Schools Foundation, at 206-669-7159.