Camp Fire News
Weekly Reader - "Happy Birthday, Camp Fire!"
An article in "Weekly Reader" features pictures of Camp Fire USA Minnesota Council youth in action! View the article
Star Tribune - "Camp Fire USA: 100 and Counting"
An article in the West Metro section of the Star Tribune on Wednesday, May 26th recognized Camp Fire's Centennial and shared the ways Camp Fire benefits youth. The article also touched on Camp Fire's plans to reinvest in Camp Tanadoona over the coming years. Camp Fire CEO Marnie Wells is quoted, saying, "I believe we have a moral obligation to leverage our gorgeous property and get as many children to experience it as possible."
Read the article.
Camp Fire Clubs "Rethink Recycling" through Community POWER Grant
Camp Fire clubs are learning about recycling and reducing waste this year through the Community POWER Grant. All clubs are participating in the program this year, which incorporates learning about natural resources with community service projects to reduce waste in youth's homes and neighborhoods.
The Community POWER grant is given by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board to help educate communities in Hennepin and Ramsey counties about waste reduction. Through this year's Rethink Recycling activities, Camp Fire is developing a curriculum toolkit for the Coordinating Board that will be distributed to 20-25 other youth development organizations in the Twin Cities.
Camp Fire's Community POWER grant activities are also helping the Coordinating Board to reach out to communities it has had trouble connecting with in the past. At Seward Towers East, Camp Fire youth presented at the monthly "Green Times" event about why they are committed to helping the Earth and how to recycle common household items. "Having the kids help gave us one of the best turnouts we've ever had," said Zach Marshall an AmeriCorps member at Seward Towers East.
Read More.
100 Years of Camp Fire
Special viewing of Minnesota History Center exhibit brings together alumni, staff and board members to celebrate Camp Fire's history.
Camp Fire alumni and supporters gathered with staff and board members for a special viewing of the 100 Years of Camp Fire display at the Minnesota History Center on April 27th. The display featured items from the Minnesota Historical Society's collection as well as those from Camp Fire's archives.
Items include a signed and decorated canoe paddle from Camp Tanadoona, an original Book of the Camp Fire Girls, a Guardian of the Fire certificate from the 1930s, handmade Camp Fire dolls and many other books, photos and mementos from throughout Camp Fire's history.
The exhibit remains open until June 18th at the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul. Admission to the library and the Camp Fire exhibit is free, though there is a cost to view other History Center exhibits.
Urban Camp Fire Youth Explore Camp Tanadoona
Annual Club-to-Camp field trips connect youth with nature 
April 9, 2010
Armed with compasses and maps, a small group of kids pored over a scrap of paper, reading it aloud in near-unison. “I am a little cabin, not so very far from where you’re standing now. There’s a pretty constellation painted above my door. You’ll find your next clue snug inside me, where campers sleep in summertime,” they read. Looking at their maps, the youth jumped with excitement as they pointed at the group of cabins, then streaked off to the west to find their next clue.
In the cabin, the kids perched on bunks and looked around the space with interest. Benjamin Pedersen, the activity leader posed them a question: “This cabin is named after the constellation Leo,” he said. “Who knows what the constellation Leo looks like?”
“A lion!” the kids chorused back before reading their next clue and shooting out of the cabin to find “the big white house where a Minnesota governor used to live.”
Exploring Camp Tanadoona through this history-themed scavenger hunt is one of a number of fun camp activities that Camp Fire club members did as part of two Club to Camp field trips at the end of March.
Read More.
Tanadoona Retrospective
As we celebrate Camp Fire's Centennial, we look back at the history of Camp Tanadoona - how it has changed to fit the times while staying, at its heart, much the same as when it opened in 1924.
March 22, 2010
In the early years, Camp Fire's Camp Tanadoona, on the shores of Lake Minnewashta, was a backwoods destination camp for girls in the Twin Cities. Campers would travel the long distance from the cities to Camp Tanadoona by streetcar, and when they got to camp, they felt like they were out in the middle of the wilderness.
Today, the city of Chanhassen has grown up around Camp Tanadoona. What was once a long journey from Minneapolis has become a quick drive, and the “wilderness” has sprouted a thriving community with its own urban core. Despite the many changes taking place around it, Camp Tanadoona remains, at its core, much the same as when it first opened its doors in the 1920s.
Read More.
Camp Tanadoona Subject of Three Articles in Local Newspaper
March 11, 1010
Victoria Townsquare published three articles about Camp Tanadoona and Camp Fire's Centennial:
Camp Tanadoona: Where kids go to be kids--Camp Fire group has rich history
Celebrating a century: Camp Tanadoona to mark big anniversary year
Camp's rich history: A governor’s vacation getaway
Learning Literacy through FILM at Cathedral Hill
March 17, 2010
The Camp Fire club at Cathedral Hill Homes in St. Paul meets once a week and provides an important outlet for the youth that live in this housing community.
Like other CommonBond sites where Camp Fire has partnerships, Cathedral Hill Homes offers daily youth programming in its Advantage Center. Most of this programming is built around offering youth structured homework time and other important academic support. Camp Fire Wednesdays give Cathedral Hill kids a chance to participate in fun games and enrichment activities in a group setting, building new skills and engaging in different kinds of learning in a way that supplements their academic work during the rest of the week.
This year, Cathedral Hill is a pilot site for an exciting new curriculum called FILM (Finding Inspiration in Literature and Movies). AmeriCorps VISTAs at Camp Fire have been working to develop this curriculum for use at all Camp Fire club sites. Youth at Cathedral Hill have enjoyed participating in FILM projects that engage them in reading multicultural picture books, drawing superhero comics, writing riddles, playing vocabulary match games and doing other fun and engaging literacy-building activities.
Read More.
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Life Time Fitness Working to Remodel Corona Bath House
Camp Fire and Life Time Fitness will unveil remodeled Corona Bath House at Centennial Celebration
Corona Bath House will have a brand new look this summer following a complete renovation by Life Time Fitness. Life Time Fitness and the Life Time Fitness Foundation have generously donated labor, materials, expertise and passion to this project, as well as leveraging connections in the construction field.
"Camp Tanadoona is located about a mile from our corporate office," said Life Time Fitness Foundation Administrator Cheryl Anderson. "We knew it would be a great opportunity to give back to our community. Our construction division, FCA, jumped at the chance to help out."
While the basic structure of the bath house will remain the same, everything inside is being updated and replaced. The walls have been sealed and insulated, and new tile is going in this week. New sinks, toilets and shower fixtures will be put in next, along with new stall partitions and a wall separating the showers from the rest of the bathroom for increased privacy.
"Working at the Camp site brings back many summer camp memories for all of our team members who have been helping out," Anderson said. "It has been a fun project to work on, and we can't wait to get the bath house ready for the summer camp season."
View a slideshow of the remodel.
Follow the latest updates on the remodel at Camp Tanadoona's Facebook page.
Special thanks to the Life Time Fitness Foundation and FCA Construction for coordinating this project!
Thank you also to ABC Millwork, City Wide Insulation, FCA Construction, Ferguson Enterprises, Home Depot, Jeff Tritch, Jerry's Floor Store, Jim Mitchell, JPR Lighting, Kohler, Legend Mechanical, Life Time Fitness, Prairie Electric, Scherer Brothers, Simmon Drywall, Single Ply Systems, Stone Peak Ceramics and Waste Management for donations of labor, materials and expertise.
Centennial Art Project at Trails Edge
April 14, 2010
To celebrate Camp Fire's Centennial, local artist Pat McGowan worked with the Trails Edge Camp Fire club to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art that reflects Camp Fire's spirit. Once completed, the artwork will be donated to the silent auction at our Centennial Celebration on June 3rd.
Watch a photo slideshow of youth working with McGowan on the artwork and read the full story.
In Memoriam
Remembering Lauraine Torgerson
Lauraine M. Torgerson ("Torgy"), a longtime member of Camp Fire and Executive Director of the St. Paul Council, passed away March 5, 2010 at the age of 90. Lauraine joined Camp Fire at age 10 and remained active throughout her life.
El Randels, a friend of Lauraine, said that, when Lauraine was growing up, money was tight for her and the others in her Camp Fire club; they couldn't afford to buy too many recognition beads, so they made sure to pick only the most important beads to work towards.
Education was very important to Lauraine and her family. After finishing high school, Lauraine attended the University of Minnesota, where she majored in business management. This was not a typical field for women to pursue at that time, but Lauraine liked accounting, and she wasn't interested in the usual classes for women.
After graduating, Lauraine found a job as a Certified Professional Accountant. She was the third woman to ever be a CPA for the state of Minnesota.
Read More.
100 Years of Camp Fire
An exhibit at the Minnesota History Center
March 15, 2010
A new exhibit celebrating the history of Camp Fire in Minnesota opens this week at the Minnesota History Center. With photos and artifacts from as far back as the 1920s, the exhibit provides a rare look into how Camp Fire has changed over the past 100 years and how it has remained true to its mission through those changes.
The exhibit is part of a year-long celebration of Camp Fire's Centennial. "We are excited to work with Camp Fire to create an exhibit in the Minnesota Historical Society's library lobby in recognition of their Centennial," said Lori Williamson of the Minnesota Historical Society's Collections department.
Read More.
Happy 100th Birthday to Camp Fire!
Camp Fire turns 100 March 17th!
March 17, 2010
In 1910, a group of professionals involved in educational and recreational work with youth joined together to create Camp Fire, an organization whose founding goal was to advance the healthy development of girls and young women. A century later, Camp Fire has expanded to welcome all youth and remains true to these early goals, with its mission of creating caring, confident youth and future leaders.
Celebrating 100 Years of Camp Fire
We hope you'll join us in a year of celebrations marking Camp Fire's Centennial. As we celebrate, we will:
Reflect on past and current successes of Camp Fire, our camps and our programs.
Renew connections with alumni around Minnesota.
Reinvest in Camp Fire for the next 100 years.
Centennial Website
Visit our new Centennial website to learn about the history of Camp Fire in Minnesota, view historical and alumni photos, read stories of how Camp Fire has touched people's lives, share your own Camp Fire memories and more!
