Five teens receive Camp Fire Central Oregon’s Work Health Love service award

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Five local teens, Elsa Bell (16), Campbell Dixon (17), Amelia Hartman-Warr (17), Ella Wagner (17), and Kira Yun (17), recently received Camp Fire Central Oregon’s Work Health Love Award, the highest achievement for youth in Camp Fire, earned by those who provide extensive service to their communities. 

Work, health, and love are values that have been central to Camp Fire since its founding in 1910. This prestigious award is an option for high school teens and offers opportunities for personal development, leadership, and advocacy. Completing the requirements to earn the award takes hard work, dedication, motivation, creativity, determination, and discipline. 

The award is earned by completing an intensive and highly individualized set of three service projects, requiring a minimum of 150 hours of volunteer work. Teens design their projects based on their interests, values, and goals. 

Two of the recipients, Amelia Hartman-Warr and Kira Yun, teamed up on one of their projects with a goal to make Bend more trans-friendly. The teens raised $600 to install menstrual product disposal bins in men’s bathrooms at various businesses around downtown Bend. 

“For transgender persons in the community, restrooms can be a source of anxiety. We see the struggles our friends go through on a daily basis, navigating their way through a binary society. We want to make life easier and more accepting for the ones we love, and for others’ loved ones as well.“ said Amelia and Kira.

Other projects completed by the recipients included fundraising over $350 for Grandma’s House of Central Oregon and Bend Family Kitchen, speaking out about racism at this year’s World Muse conference, and running a mentorship club for middle school youth. 

An award ceremony was held earlier this week, honoring the recipients. At the event, recipient Elsa Bell shared, “My favorite part of this experience was just getting to learn a lot more about myself and having the encouragement through this to open myself up to new, exciting possibilities and activities.”

The Work Health Love Award is an impressive and important addition to teens’ resumes, job and college applications. These five young women have demonstrated perseverance, ability to set and achieve meaningful goals, strong work ethic, commitment to community service, and leadership.