Grants help fund Camp Fire Tumalo Day Camp, Teens in Action
Camp Fire Central Oregon was the recent recipient of two grants, one from the Clabough Foundation for $10,000, which will provide scholarship assistance for low-income families attending Tumalo Day Camp this summer, and one from the Oregon Community Foundation for $20,000, which will combine with a $2,000 donation from the Greater Bend Rotary to fund a robust Teens In Action Program in Bend and Prineville.
Teens In Action groups will meet from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm in Bend and 11:00 am – 2:00 pm in Crook County ever Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, beginning June 23rd and wrapping up August 13th. Lunch will be provided to the youth participating in this program, many of whom will come from low-income families.
Camp Fire’s Teens In Action program, in partnership with the Better Together Initiative’s 8+9 program, supports students’ transition from middle to high school by providing free, fun, & future focused service-learning projects in the summer before and after 8th grade, with a link to a mentor at the start of 9th grade.
According to Kecia Kubota, Camp Fire Central Oregon’s Executive Director and teen leadership advocate, “Teens In Action provides young people with the opportunity to plan service-learning projects they feel passionately about and then see them through to the end. It’s essential that they do all the work for themselves and pick the issues they truly care about. At a certain point, they begin to feel comfortable taking control of the project and working as a team. When that happens, it’s rewarding for everyone involved.”
Last year, the young people in Camp Fire’s Teens In Action summer programs organized multiple fundraisers to feed the homeless and provide support to the Humane Society through pet food and cash donations.
Studies have shown that Camp Fire participants are more likely to stay in school, demonstrate social competence, lead a healthy lifestyle, be environmentally conscious, have a sense of purpose, and achieve their full potential. We would like to invite you to view this for yourself! Please contact us to learn more, set up times to observe camps and programs, interview one of our outstanding youth, or find your spark today!
About Camp Fire Central Oregon: We believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, enjoy nature, and thrive, so we offer a variety of programs, camps, events, and service learning projects meant to engage youth and inspire them to be themselves. Young people want to shape the world. Through Camp Fire, they can see immediate action and discover that they have what it takes to make a difference now. For more information about Camp Fire Central Oregon, visit campfireco.org.
