Camp Fire Central Oregon Staff Recognized With Top Leadership Award at National Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CAMP FIRE CENTRAL OREGON STAFF RECOGNIZED WITH TOP LEADERSHIP AWARD AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Distinguished Honor from Camp Fire National Headquarters Acknowledges Outstanding Contribution and Commitment to Youth Development

Pictured above: Camp Fire National Headquarters CEO Greg Zweber, Camp Fire Central Oregon Program Director Melanie Feltmate, Camp Fire Central Oregon Executive Director Kecia Kubota, and Camp Fire National Board Chair and Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Health Care Business Group at 3M, Danette Andley.

Bend, Ore. Dec. 14, 2023 – Inclusive youth development organization Camp Fire Central Oregon’s Executive Director Kecia Kubota and Program DirectorMelanie Feltmate were exclusively awarded the “Leadership & Values Award” from Camp Fire National Headquarters at its recent national conference in Washington D.C. Kubota and Feltmate were nominated from a pool of Camp Fire’s youth development leaders at 46 affiliates in 24 states for their comeback story, building a strong and sustainable organization that is now a pillar in the Central Oregon community, after almost closing its doors a decade ago.

“Both Melanie and I were overjoyed and filled with gratitude upon receiving this award,” says Kubota, who has served in her leadership position for 10 years, while Melanie has worked in various leadership roles with Camp Fire Central Oregon for more than six years.

“Helping kids thrive is at the core of everything we do,” she says. “We’re both deeply passionate about the mission behind Camp Fire, which has been providing quality programs in our backyard for over a century. It’s an honor to be a part of this organization, and we don’t take this honor lightly. It’s something we act upon every day, along with our team of amazing staff members who feel equally passionate about ensuring kids thrive and really making our organization the go-to resource for highly enriched youth programming in Central Oregon.”

The “Leadership and Values Award” was one of several awards announced at the national leadership conference. Among Camp Fire’s expansive national network, Camp Fire Central Oregon–founded in 1916–is one of the oldest affiliates in existence today. It hasn’t always been an easy journey for the Bend-based nonprofit, yet the organization’s current leadership has ensured its viability, mission and impact, as pointed out by Greg Zweber, CEO of Camp Fire National Headquarters’ chief executive officer.

"Ten years ago, Camp Fire Central Oregon's board was ready to close," Zweber stated. "They did not have enough money to hire an executive director but in working closely with our national staff, the board developed a plan to hire a part-time executive director. That person was Kecia Kubota. In her tenure, the affiliate has grown significantly. Melanie Feltmate, the current program director, also played an important role in the rebuilding and current success of the organization. We were thrilled to hear that this year, their board of directors approved a $1 million budget. Kecia and Melanie have been able to build a strong leadership team and quality, safe programs. We thank Kecia and Melanie for their notable contributions to their community, to support young people, and to Camp Fire as a whole."

Camp Fire Central Oregon relies not just on the strength of its staff but on program fees, grants, community partnerships, and private donors to ensure its year-round programs and summer camps remain accessible to all, regardless of ability to pay. Equally important is its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, ensuring all youth feel safe and welcome within the Camp Fire family.

“It’s only when kids feel safe to be themselves and feel comfortable about who they are that they can truly trust and connect with others, not to mention the world beyond them,” says Feltmate, who has been a champion for inclusivity throughout her professional career, not just with Camp Fire Central Oregon. 

The endeavor to ensure all youth thrive is a community effort that’s proven to net reward. Camp Fire Central Oregon is holding its annual fundraising campaign with a goal to raise $10,000K before the year-end. Individuals and businesses interested in supporting this mission can do so by going online to https://campfireco.org/give/ (private donors) and https://campfireco.org/partners/ (business donors).

INTERVIEW CONTACT:

Kecia Kubota, Executive Director | Camp Fire Central Oregon
kecia@campfireco.org; (541) 205-9146

GENERAL MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Katie Roberts, Marketing Coordinator | Camp Fire Central Oregon
katie@campfireco.org; (541) 299-2812

About Camp Fire Central Oregon

Founded in 1910, Camp Fire is a national organization that actively engages youth and teens in building essential skills for life. Camp Fire Central Oregon has been a local leader in youth development since 1916. The organization provides out-of-school time, teen service and leadership, camp and environmental programs. Young people want to shape the world. Camp Fire provides the opportunity to help them find their spark, lift their voice, and discover who they are.

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August 24, 2023

CAMP FIRE CENTRAL OREGON EXPANDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM TO SISTERS MIDDLE SCHOOL

‘ExplOregon: Project Good Earth’ will boost accessibility to nature-based enrichment while giving kids a chance to connect to the outdoors, each other, and themselves.

Bend, Ore. –  A new environmental program for youth, launched in early 2023, is coming to Sisters this fall, thanks to a partnership between Camp Fire Central Oregon and Sisters Middle School. Registration opened on August 6 and spots are still available.

The Sisters-based program, called “ExplOregon: Project Good Earth,” is open to kids in Grades 6-8 and features five fabulous Fridays of afterschool outdoor exploration, enrichment and learning.

According to James DiRosa, Camp Fire Central Oregon’s outdoor and environmental coordinator, “ExplOregon was born out of Camp Fire’s mission to connect youth to the outdoors, to each other, and to themselves. This program is unique in that we do nature-based activities and adventures that touch many layers of this mission. We’re outside, engaging in the environment, and teaching kids to better understand and appreciate the natural world through dynamic ways, including art projects, nature activities, outdoor exploration, science and more.

“We’ve been running variations of the program in other Central Oregon communities and we’re thrilled to bring it to Sisters,” he says. “It’s intended to be a great complement to the middle school’s well-known focus on environmental education, giving more youth access to such programs and building more engagement around the outdoors.”

Project Good Earth runs Fridays, September 15 through October 20. (No meeting on October 13.) It is open to 12 youth, so DiRosa is encouraging families in the Sisters Country to sign up their middle schoolers as soon as possible to get a spot. Registration and more information can be found at https://campfireco.org/exploregon/. Camp Fire Central Oregon offers financial assistance—details available here: https://campfireco.org/financial-assistance/.

INTERVIEW CONTACT:

James DiRosa, Outdoor & Environmental Program Coordinator| Camp Fire Central Oregon
james@campfireco.org (541) 203-3528; If contacting James either Thursday, 8/24 or Friday, 8/25 for an interview, please call/text the camp phone as it’s the only phone that works in his current camp location: (541)-639-9459

GENERAL MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Katie Roberts, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator | Camp Fire Central Oregon
katie@campfireco.org (541) 299-2812

About Camp Fire Central Oregon
Founded in 1910, Camp Fire is a national organization that actively engages youth and teens in building essential skills for life. Camp Fire Central Oregon has been a local leader in youth development since 1916. The organization provides co-ed out-of-school time, teen service and leadership, camp and environmental programs. Young people want to shape the world. Camp Fire provides the opportunity to help them find their spark, lift their voice, and discover who they are.

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When it came to physical health, we renovated bathrooms, paved walkways, and made other camp updates. When it came to child safety and abuse prevention, we continued to refine our national and local policies and procedures, working closely with youth protection experts at Praesidium, the national leader in abuse risk management. This continues to be a huge priority so we can meet the highest standards or have a clear path to get there.

And when it came to mental and emotional health, the toll and isolation of COVID-19 was immense; the U.S. Surgeon General just declared children’s mental health a national crisis, releasing a Youth Mental Health Advisory. To make sure we were ready for young people, we formed a new partnership with On Our Sleeves to offer mental health resources to our network. We also continued to expand education around the power of developmental relationships from The Search Institute. We focused program efforts around creating a safe space, the foundation for youth engagement and interaction, and measured for quality using Weikart Center’s Program Quality Assessment tool.

As we worked through our strategic plan that kicked off in early 2021, we also focused on equity. We addressed equity in both our professional development and in our programming, and we also worked on connecting social-emotional learning (SEL) to equity and explaining to our network why it matters for young people.

Lastly, we know that when a young person gets outside, magic happens. No matter how young people experience the outdoors — as something awesome and powerful to behold or something that catalyzes relationships with self or others, it is a place that everyone can access. It is a tool for positive youth development, and you can find the results and impact in these pages.

We all need connection. Despite COVID-19 and its barriers, Camp Fire was able to connect 68,546 youth and their families to the outdoors, to others, and to themselves, over the past year. We hope you enjoy this report and see the life-giving connections that make this work so important.

ACCESS THE FULL REPORT

This blog post originally appeared on campfire.org/blog