Today's kids. Tomorrow's leaders.

Current News!

Dates to Remember

For Holiday Care

Thanksgiving Camp

November 23rd-25th

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

1701 N. Main in Midland

7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Winter Camp

December 21st-24th, 28th-31st

&

January 3rd & 4th

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

1701 N. Main in Midland

7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

For more information on these events

please call 570-4144

  Christmas Card Art Contest 

Hundreds of Camp Fire USA members participated in an art contest during the first three weeks of October. Members were asked to draw pictures of “Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child”. Each of a twelve program locations will have a winner and the top selections will be scanned and converted into real Christmas cards. Winners were determined by a committee made up of Camp Fire USA staff and members of the Board of Directors.

 Winners

Sunceree Washington         Brianna Tutt

                                                                        Cierra Stanford                   Case Mount

                                                                        Briana Ruiz                        Idalez Martinez

                                                                        Ruben Enriquez                 Alisa Ana Torres

                                                                        Aireal Berggren                  Sara Vasquez

Camp Fire on Wheels Has New Director

Penny Quan has been named the Director of our Camp Fire on Wheels program. Penny has a son named Jay who has been a participant in our Kids Care program at Bush Elementary for three years. During that time Penny volunteered at several council wide events such as our Fall Festival and Great Outdoor Adventure and she volunteered helping staff in the administrative office.

Penny got acquainted with the staff and the Camp Fire USA programs through her volunteer service and being the parent of a child that participated in our programs. She commented one day to Nancy Burgess, our Director of Operations, that she thought it would be neat to work for Camp Fire USA. We just happened to be looking for a person to direct our Camp Fire on Wheels  program and selected Penny to be the program director.

Penny Quan

Camp Fire on Wheels Director

The Camp Fire on Wheels program is a curriculum-based program that is conducted at all of our program sites. Penny takes the curriculum and the associated activities to the sites as an enhancement to the programming that is already part of Camp Fire USA after school activities. The Camp Fire on Wheels curriculum contains activities that are conducted on site as well as some that are taken home so that parents and children can spend some quality family time together working on activities. Examples of the curriculum are:

“I’m Safe and Sure” is Camp Fire USA’s personal safety program for kindergarten and first grade children. The program focuses on personal safety and responsible citizenship through good decision making.

“I Can Do It” is designed to help children in the second and third grade learn self-help skills. I can do it course was designed to prepare children to be contributing family members, able to cope with different life situations, sometimes independent of parental or other adult supervision.

“I’m Peer Proof” is a prevention program that helps children to make prudent decisions, manage anger, raise self-esteem and self-confidence and use assertive self-expression and

Great Outdoor Adventure Raffle Ticket Winners Announced

 The winners of the 2009 Great Outdoor Adventure Raffle have been announced. The 50" plasma television was won by Donelle Sleantz of Midland. Ciji Casbeer of Houston won the $500 GASCARD and Leland Harrington of Kingsland was the winner of the University of Texas golf bag.

 Assistant Executive Director, Bill Shuey, and plasma television winner, Donelle Sleantz.

Fall Festival Held

The 2009 Fall Festival was held on Thursday, October 29th, at West Early Childhood Center. Approximately 150 youth and family members attended the festival. Participants wore their holiday costumes and got to dunk for apples and play various carnival type games for prizes. There were also plenty of refreshments on hand.

West Texas Council Board President Wins Award

Michael T. Morgan, President of the West Texas Council of Camp Fire USA, received the national organization's 2009 Volunteer Leadership Award. The award was presented to Mr. Morgan at the 2009 National Leadership Conference that was held in Kansas City during the period of November 4th-7th. Morgan received his The criteria that he met for the award included his contribution to the success of the local council through diverse leadership roles and through outstanding leadership representation of Camp Fire USA at local, state and national levels. Morgan has been a member of the board for five years and is serving his second term as President. Linda Hamilton, Camp Fire USA Service Director made the award presentation to Morgan.

Michael T. Morgan and Linda Hamilton

Council Receives Commemorative Charter

Camp Fire USA West Texas Council was recently awarded a commemorative 100-year crystal charter in honor of the Camp Fire USA Centennial, which will be celebrated in 2010. Fifty councils received these charters, etched with traditional Camp Fire symbols, at the organization’s recent biennial business meeting, which was held November 5 in Kansas City, Mo.

Council Executive, Mike Burney, accepted the charter from National Board Chair Gwen Whitson, whose name and signature is etched on each charter. Mike Burney said, “Camp Fire USA West Texas Council has served our communities, children, youth, and families for nearly a century, and this Centennial Charter is a fitting recognition of that service. On behalf of all the dedicated staff, volunteers, and board members of our council, I am very proud to accept this honor.”

Gwen Whitson, who has served as Camp Fire USA’s board chair since 2006, said, “These beautiful crystal Centennial Charters serve to remind us not only of a magnificent past but also of a great future for Camp Fire as we move into our next hundred years. We have never been more relevant as an organization, and our services have never been more needed.” 

The charters were designed to reflect the organization’s rich 100-year history of service, with the traditional Camp Fire symbols representing the value of work, service to others, and an appreciation for the environment. Last year alone, Camp Fire provided more than 30 million hours of service through hundreds of different programs administered by councils across the United States.

Council Executive, Mike Burney, and Camp Fire USA National Chairwoman, Gwen Whitson