Building the Next Generation: Volunteerism The boxes they carried were heavy and bursting at the seams, but they didn’t care. With smiles from ear to ear, giggling and full of excitement, five teenagers walked into the Ronald McDonald House on a Spring Break morning. While their peers stayed at home in bed or traveled for fun, these students did something bigger. What began as a group of truant-bound youth looking for an after school program that offered free food, turned into a tight-knit tribe of activists hoping to make change in their community. Camp Fire First Texas is similar to many non-profit organizations in the reliance and value placed on caring and involved volunteers. In 2016, 730 volunteers supported the organization with more than 2,000 hours of service. Volunteers at Camp Fire can be found supporting the organization in board and committee meetings to event preparation and setup to raking gravel, painting and planting gardens alongside youth. What is different at Camp Fire, however, is to not only accept the
generous outpouring of support provided by our community, but the commitment to give back by building the next generation of community volunteers. This is what Camp Fire programs do. “Developing a heart for volunteering is inherent at Camp Fire. It is even one of the three cornerstones the organization was founded on that exist as our impact areas today,” points out Cathy Halliday, vice president of youth development at Camp Fire First Texas. Camp Fire’s three impact areas are Work,
Health, and Love (coined WoHeLo). The first, encourages volunteerism, service learning, and citizenship in all youth. “Youth are social, they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. We have found that when we guide and feed this desire to be involved in the community, they crave more and want to find outlets for their talents and time. Over time we see the decision to volunteer transition from us, as youth leaders, guiding the group to the group taking the initiative and telling us, ‘This is where we see a need and
• Youth in Camp Fire programs recognize they are given opportunities to try things they have never done before. • In post-program measurements, Camp Fire’s youth show an increase in the development of empathy, purpose, confidence and inclusiveness. • Camp Fire Step Up program volunteered 316 hours in 2016.
“Developing a heart for volunteering is inherent at Camp Fire.” want to give our time,’” said Halliday. “That is the Aha! moment.” From BINGO with nursing home residents, cheering on Special Olympics teams, sorting items at the food bank, to cleaning up in the Trinity Trash Bash, Camp Fire youth are given a multitude of opportunities to give back to their community. And it isn’t just our teen programs that participate in service learning projects. At the Texas Outdoor Education Center and Camp El Tesoro – the organization’s 223-acre camp– youth are taught to embrace the ‘Leave No Trace’ principals; a set of outdoor ethics promoting conversation in nature. They also host opportunities for Counselors in Training to support new families at camp previews and family camping weekends.
Camp Fire First Texas programs are for boys, girls and adults and include camping, after school programs, teen services, environmental education, early childhood education and school readiness. We change young lives for the better in our community. Inside and out. CampFireFW.org | 817.831.2111
Camp Fire After School programs spend six weeks discussing traits that build strong youth volunteers – connection, purpose, confidence, character, skills and grit. Even at the Camp Fire Child Development Center and Demonstration School, children as young as 6-weeks-old begin their exploration and development of traits that contribute to a volunteer/ service mindset. Camp Fire youth find a safe, fun and inclusive place – a place where they form lasting relationships, and develop a sense of belonging that ultimately allows them make positive contributions to the lives of their families and their communities. Interested in volunteering? Contact Camp Fire First Texas at 817.831.2111 or Info@CampFireFW.org.