Local youth get ready to give long-awaited presentations and celebrate the capstone of their Camp Fire experience. On June 2, 5:30pm, local youth will be giving presentations at the Deschutes Public Library to mark the culmination of their experience with Camp Fire.
At the end of their presentations, each participant will be given Camp Fire’s most prestigious award, the Wo-He-Lo (Work Health Love), which is only presented after the completion of 150 service hours. They will also be recognized on Wednesday, June 4, for their outstanding achievements at Camp Fire’s annual Grand Council Fire and barbeque, which will take place from 5:30-8pm at Shevlin Park. Both of these events are free and open to the public, although pre-registration is required online for the barbeque that will take place before the Grand Council Fire on Wednesday.
The level of dedication that it takes for a local youth to earn a Wo-He-Lo award is impressive. Many participants have been working towards this goal for most of their lives. Amber Goemaat, for example, has participated in Camp Fire since elementary school. Now, as she begins her search for colleges, she is finally preparing to give her Wo-He-Lo presentation on leading a Camp Fire Club and becoming a Counselor In Training.
Amber has proven herself to be an excellent role model and outstanding citizen. Outside of Camp Fire, she is an honors student at Mountain View High School, and has received more than two dozen awards in speech and debate within the past three years. She has dreams of studying Law or International Studies in college, and would like to find a career path that allows her to help others while reaching out to her community through public speaking. The young people who earn their Wo-He-Lo awards are asked to abide by Camp Fire’s set values, which include giving service and pursuing knowledge.
Emma Bell, another local youth who will be giving her presentation on Monday, aspires to become a teacher. In addition to working toward her Wo-He-Lo, Emma has tapped into her own creativity and is accomplished in knitting and crochet. She makes her own hats and has even begun sewing clothing. It is the accomplishments of young people such as Amber and Emma that Camp Fire will be celebrating at the Grand Council Fire on Wednesday.
About Camp Fire
Camp Fire is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit youth development organizations, serving youth, teens, and families in communities across the United States. Camp Fire programs are research-based, delivered where youth and families are via out-of-school time, environmental and camp, and teen service and leadership programs. Because youth want to shape the world, Camp Fire’s focus is giving youth and teens the opportunity to find their sparks, lift their voice, and discover who they are. Camp Fire programs are proven to develop young peoples’ skills now so they can reach their full potential.
For more information about Camp Fire Central Oregon, visit www.campfireco.org.
