Camp Fire Central Puget Sound

Camp Fire USA helps youth succeed in school by providing experiential learning activities that support academic curriculum, including getting preschool-aged children ready for kindergarten. Service-learning opportunities provided by Camp Fire teach youth leadership and job skills, and allow high school youth to fulfill graduation requirements for service hours so they graduate on time. Active outdoor activities, nutrition and safety lessons help youth maintain good physical health and avoid childhood obesity. Camp Fire also works to reduce the risk of child abuse and parental depression in two ways: 1.) by providing respite care for children with developmental and physical delays or health concerns, so that parents can receive some much needed time away from the challenges of caring for their child with special needs, and 2.) by providing culturally appropriate family strengthening activities that create child/parent attachment and nurturing, formal and informal support networks for parents, and effective communication and parenting.

Camp Fire USA builds caring, confident youth and future leaders. Camp Fire was founded in 1910 by Luther Halsey Gulick, M.D., and his wife, Charlotte Vetter Gulick, as the first nonsectarian, interracial organization for girls in the United States. Camp Fire started in the Northwest with clubs in Federal Way and Kirkland in 1911. In Kitsap County groups were forming by 1917. The Seattle-King County Council of Camp Fire Girls was chartered December 31, 1919. By the end of 1920, there were 1,200 girl members in the Puget Sound area. Also in 1920, we established the first permanent resident camp for girls in the State of Washington, Camp Sealth, originally located on Blake Island. In 1921 the Seattle-King County Council of Camp Fire Girls became a member of the Seattle Community Chest, which eventually became the United Way of King County. In the same year with the assistance of community funds, we purchased 186 acres on Vashon Island for the location of Camp Sealth. Since then buildings have been erected and additional acreage purchased to be where we are today. The first board meeting of the Kitsap Area Council, later the Kit-No-Ma Council, was held in 1946. That council purchased Camp Niwana in 1954. The youth members chose the name ?Niwana,? meaning ?to swim under blue skies.? In 1975, boys were welcomed to Camp Fire as co-ed programming was introduced nationally, and the organization?s name was changed to Camp Fire Inc. In 1991, the Seattle-King County Council merged with the Kit-No-Ma Council of Bremerton to form the Central Puget Sound Council. In 2001 the national name was changed to Camp Fire USA. Also in 2001, the Central Puget Sound Council launched the largest capital campaign of any Camp Fire Council in the national system. Construction was completed at Camp Sealth from the campaign in 2006.