Life-long Camp Fire Central Oregon participants, Amelia Hartman-Warr and Kira Yun, are currently working to achieve their WorkHealthLove awards, the highest accomplishment in Camp Fire. Achieving this prestigious honor requires serious commitment, and a passion for and dedication to bettering oneself and one's community. The award is earned by completing a set of intensive, highly individualized projects and 150 hours of community service. Teens design their projects based on their interests, values, and goals.

Amelia and Kira have teamed up on one of their projects with a goal to make Bend more trans-friendly. Check out our recent interview with these powerful, ambitious teens below for all of the details on their impressive project and how you can contribute!

So, first of all, what exactly are you doing?

As part of Camp Fire Central Oregon's WorkHeathLove group, we are working on a project to install menstrual product disposal boxes in men’s restrooms around town. We are looking to partner with local businesses who are interested in making Bend a more trans-friendly community. Our goal is to raise at least $250 for the sole purpose of buying and installing these bins, as well as stickers to label the selected restrooms!

Why did you design this project?

For transgender persons in the community, restrooms can be a source of anxiety. We want to make our transgender friends, neighbors and family members more comfortable and accepted in our wonderful city. These disposal boxes, with your help, will make everyday life easier for transgender individuals who menstruate and use the men’s restroom. It’s a small step in the grand scheme of things, but we believe that it will be beneficial and proactive for our community.

What makes this cause important to you?

Having many transgender friends ourselves, we are eager and committed to making Bend a better trans-ally city. While neither of us are trans, we see the struggles our friends go through on a daily basis; navigating their way through a binary society. Specifically with our FTM friend, menstruation and a lack of suitable disposal options can get in the way of which restroom he can use. We want to make life easier and more accepting for the ones we love, and for others’ loved ones as well.

What inspired you to take on this challenge and pursue your WoHeLo?

Both of us have been members of Camp Fire Central Oregon since kindergarten. Earning a WoHeLo award, by completing 150 hours of community service and displaying dedication in the categories Work, Health and Love, is the highest achievement within the Camp Fire organization. We have challenged ourselves to meet this goal in order to further benefit our community and ourselves. We believe that by achieving this goal, we will be better prepared for our lives after high school, and educated in the ways we can help our communities in the future.

How can the community get involved and help!?

If you are interested in supporting our project financially you can do so through our GoFundMe page here or via Venmo @ kira_nicole. Thank you for your support!!!

If you are a business owner, or know someone who might be interested in making their restrooms more trans-friendly, contact us at ameliahw@icloud.com

We look forward to hearing from you!