Camp Fire (organization)

"Camp Fire Girls" redirects here. For the novel series, see Camp Fire Girls (novel series).
"Campfire Girls" redirects here. For the rock band, see Campfire Girls (band).

Camp Fire
HeadquartersKansas City, Missouri
CountryUnited States
Foundedinformally 1910; formally March 17, 1912
Founders
  • Luther Gulick, M.D.
  • Charlotte Gulick
Nation Board ChairJane Parker
President/CEOGreg Zweber
Website
campfire.org
 Scouting portal

Camp Fire, formerly Camp Fire USA and originally Camp Fire Girls of America, is a co-ed youth development organization.[1][2] Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in America.[3] It is now gender-inclusive, and its programs emphasize camping and other outdoor activities.[4]

Its informal roots extend back to 1910, with efforts by Mrs. Charles Farnsworth in Thetford, Vermont and Luther Gulick, M.D., and his wife, Charlotte Vedder Gulick, on Sebago Lake, near South Casco, Maine.[5][6] Camp Fire Girls, as it was known at the time, was created as the sister organization to the Boy Scouts of America.[7] The organization changed its name in 1975 to Camp Fire Boys and Girls when membership eligibility was expanded to include boys. In 2001, the name Camp Fire USA was adopted,[8] and in 2012 it became Camp Fire.

Camp Fire's programs include small group experiences, after-school programs, camping, as well as environmental education, child care, and service-learning; They aim to build confidence in younger children and provide hands-on, youth-driven leadership experiences for older youth.[9]

  1. ^ "A Long History of Helping Youth Thrive". Camp Fire. Retrieved June 11, 2016. While Camp Fire was America's first multiracial, multicultural, and nonsectarian organization for girls, we became co-ed in 1975.
  2. ^ "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Camp Fire | Camp Fire". Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Turner Strong, Pauline (December 18, 2008). Cultural Appropriation and the Crafting of Racialized Selves in American Youth Organizations: Toward an Ethnographic Approach. doi:10.1177/1532708608325918. S2CID 143921886.
  4. ^ Cathy Tisdale (July 19, 2012). "It Pays to Be Inclusive". New Tork Times. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  5. ^ Helen Buckler (1961). Wo-He-Lo; the story of Camp Fire Girls, 1910-1960. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. OL 7132682W.
  6. ^ Marshall, Edward (March 17, 1912). "Girls Take Up the Boy Scout Idea and Band Together" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  7. ^ Paris, Leslie (2008). Children's Nature. NYU Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-8147-6707-8. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  8. ^ "All About Us". Camp Fire USA. 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  9. ^ "10 reasons we are campfire strong". campfire.org. November 6, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2020.