2025 Impact Report
Dear Camp Fire Community,
As 2026 swings toward another epic summer for Camp Fire Central Puget Sound, we’re excited to build on a year that was remarkable in so many ways.
A record number of youth came to Camp Sealth in 2025. We welcomed more kids to our Community Day Camps and Outdoor Education Program than the year before. Donor support for our Financial Assistance Fund helped more than 100 young people break away to summer camp. Several hundred volunteers donated thousands of hours of their time. And generous donors in a new Giving Circle stepped up their support for our Greatest Needs Fund.
Together with King County, we preserved a precious swath of forest around Camp Sealth for generations to come. We kicked off an exciting new candy partnership with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. And we adopted a three-year strategic plan that is built upon our continued work towards advancing equity throughout our organization and community.
Now more than ever, young people need safe spaces like ours to connect with nature, find their own voice, step outside their comfort zones and enact change that makes life in their communities better.
This impact report shares stories and stats that reflect the positive impact Camp Fire had on youth and young adults in 2025 — and not just during the summer. Camp Fire is here for youth and families all throughout the year and at every stage of life, from the preschoolers in our “Little Stars” groups to longstanding alumni excited about grandchildren following in their footsteps.
Thank you for being part of the Camp Fire community and believing in our vision of a world with boundless opportunities for young people to get outside, make lifelong friends, thrive on their own terms and stand up for what they believe.
Rick Taylor (he/him)
Executive Director
In this Issue:
Land Acknowledgement
Camp Fire stands on the lands of the Coast Salish People who came before us and, despite systemic efforts to silence their voices and erase history, are still here today. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Coast Salish peoples.
Once a Camp Fire Kid, Now Giving Back as a Camp Fire Mom
Amanda Wedvik Curb (she/her) has stayed involved with Camp Fire year after year, ever since she joined a Camp Fire Group in elementary school. Her mom ran the group, leading all kinds of fun activities. Amanda sold Camp Fire candy with her group, went to Camp Sealth for many summers, earned her Work Heath Love Award in high school, and went on to become a camp counselor and a unit leader at Camp Sealth. Along the way, she made friendships that endure decades later.
Today, she’s following in her mom’s footsteps by leading Camp Fire Groups for her daughter and son. She loves that groups are gender-inclusive, get kids outdoors, and let young people take active roles in choosing and planning their activities. Her kids’ “Fun Fires” and “Fun Fire Owls” groups have done park clean-ups, made fleece cat blankets for an animal shelter, hiked Mount Rainier trails, organized their own pinewood derbies, and developed strong friendships.
“The friendships you make in Camp Fire was really what I liked as a kid — and doing all these fun activities you wouldn’t do normally. I also loved going to summer camp. That was always a highlight of my year.”
Amanda Wedvik Curb, Camp Fire alum, parent, group leader
Camp Fire Groups At a Glance
120
kids in Camp Fire Groups
4,600
hours donated by adult volunteers like Amanda
100k+
bags of Camp Fire candy sold
Help more kids experience the magic of camp & give to our Financial Assistance Fund!
New Candy & Partnership with Puyallup Chocolates
The candy that Camp Fire kids sell every winter raises critical funds for group activities, emblems, and even a week at summer camp, which is how many kids first experience Camp Sealth. We’re excited that youth all over the country are now selling candy made by Puyallup Chocolates. It’s part of a new partnership rooted in shared values, cultural respect, and the next generation of youth leadership.
Kids are done selling out in the community but you can still support us and get candy shipped directly to your door while supplies last.
“Camp Fire’s mission and our tribal values align beautifully. We both believe in the potential of young people and the importance of community support.”
Amy McFarland, Puyallup tribal member, World Cup Project Director for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians
1 Day Camp, 3 Generations of Family Fun
Longtime Camp Fire parent, volunteer, and former staffer Karen Aoyama (she/her) spent many summers supervising Carkeek Day Camp as site director. Karen led Camp Fire groups for her son and two daughters when they were little all the way through high school, with Mark (he/him), Dana (she/her), and Caitlin (she/her) volunteering as counselors for many summers.
Mark and Dana also served as junior staff coordinators. Dana later became science coordinator, enthralling campers with live demonstrations from her personal snake collection — always a huge hit. Now Dana is our Finance director. Three of Karen’s grandchildren have become day campers at Carkeek. A fourth is excited to join the family tradition as soon as he’s ready. Karen (aka Friend Owl) still volunteers as a story reader at Carkeek every summer.
“Camp Fire is a human potential program. We try to meet kids where they are, help them be successful, and most importantly — have fun!”
Karen Aoyama (she/her)
Longtime Camp Fire parent, volunteer, former staffer, Giving Circle member
Teens Give Back & Develop as Leaders
Throughout most of our history — locally and all over the country — Camp Fire Groups have served as a starting point that lead many youth to a lifelong relationship with Camp Fire. That’s also true for our Community Day Camps.
Jojo Foster (she/they) first attended Carkeek Day Camp at age 5, returned for several summers, then went to Wrangler horse camp at Camp Sealth for six summers. Known as Gears at camp, she went on to volunteer as a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) and LEAD (Lead, Engage, Act, and Discover).
When she was little, Gears remembers looking up to her counselors, thinking they were the coolest people in the world. Now she’s on the other side and is excited for her first staff position this summer as a Kitchen Assistant/Rover/Co-Counselor.
“To know I can have the same amount of impact on a camper that my counselors had on me when I was a kid blows my mind.”
Jojo (aka Gears), longtime Camp Fire camper,
teen volunteer
2025 Day Camp by the Numbers
1,179
Campers
568
Adult & Teen Volunteers
98%
of youth reported feeling safe and included at day camp
Camp Sealth: A Place Where Everybody Is Welcome
Camp Sealth has a rich history as a go-to getaway for thousands of youth every summer. Yet it’s so much more than a summer camp. It’s a place where young people of all backgrounds and abilities discover an extraordinary sense of belonging, immersed in nature, making new friends, engaged in fun activities that inspire curiosity, empathy, and self-discovery.
In Their Own Words:
“Camp feels completely different from my real life. I change and become this confident, cheery version of myself. Yet I’m still me.”
“Camp Sealth is my happy place, my home away from home. I’ve never laughed harder or had more fun than when I’ve been at camp.”
“When I am away from camp, there’s a piece of me missing. When I am stressed out, it’s the place I wish I could go to. It means the world to me that year after year I am able to come back, meet new people, try new things, and just be myself.”
Camp Sealth by the Numbers
2,400 Campers Over 8 Weekly Summer Sessions
142 Staff Members (7 different countries represented!)
85% of Camp Sealth campers surveyed said that it’s important to learn about different identities and their own biases.
“What makes this place unique is that everybody is welcome. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, your background, the color of your skin. Everybody can come here and be who they want to be.”
Omar Malik (he/him), Director of Camping
Committed to Kids and Families of All Abilities
One of our favorite stories of 2025 highlights how Camp Sealth offers an inclusive and supportive environment for young people and families with special needs of all kinds, from disabilities and accessibility needs to chronic medical conditions and neurodiversity.
Jessica Adams wasn’t sure if it was possible for her medically complex, “neurospicy” 7-year-old son to have the kind of carefree fun she experienced at summer camp as a kid. Jamie has a host of special needs from being born premature. He’s legally blind, has severe lung issues, and half his body is weaker than the other because of a tethered spinal cord. He has developmental delays, autism, and ADHD.
Jamie and his twin sister Lily had tried a few camps in the past, but none of them worked out — until they came to Vashon Day Camp this summer at Camp Sealth.
“Oh my gosh, they had SUCH a blast!” Jessica said. “The counselors said they did great. Every day, I was like, ‘Are you sure this isn’t too much?’ and they said, ‘No, he’s good. He’s great.’”
Each week at Camp Sealth, there are three healthcare professionals who dispense medications, provide first aid, and manage campers’ records and care plans for children with medical needs and diagnoses that require special attention.
“My soul felt so refreshed and regenerated after those two weeks. It was an incredible, incredible experience. We’ll definitely keep coming back year after year.”
Jessica Adams
Off-Season Getaways for the Whole Family
558
Joined us at a Camp Sealth Retreat last year
Our spring and summer weekend getaways for the whole family at Camp Sealth are always big hits. They also reflect our longstanding commitment to equity and inclusion in all its forms, with camps for kids with special needs, BIPOC families, LGBTQ+ youth, and more.
Kindling New Sparks at Camp
On a sunny afternoon in May, my feet were planted in the cool sand at Camp Sealth’s waterfront. Playing on the beach and paddling in boats, families enjoyed the breezy, warm weather. It was Special Family Camp weekend.
For three decades, this program has created a welcoming place for kids and adults with neurodivergence and other special needs to enjoy a camp experience with their entire families.
At one point, I chatted with a mom as her son dug in the sand near us. She said it was their first time attending. A former Camp Sealth staff member had invited them. Watching her boy, with a smile on her face and Colvos Passage in the background, she described how much fun her son was having — and how glad she was to share this experience with him for the first time.
To me, that moment conveys the essence of Camp Fire programs: building on decades of experience, while continuing to evolve, reaching out to new participants, and welcoming new kids and families. Kindling new sparks, you might say.
It was one of so many moments that made 2025 a great year for Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.
President, Board of Directors
No Offense, Kids…
Sometimes grown-ups want Camp Sealth all to themselves! Each year, we host several Adult Retreats for our 18 and older crowd which are a great way to connect with the outdoors, make new friends or reconnect with the old, try classic camp activities, experience new things and so much more!
Giving More Kids Access to Outdoor Education
Banding together with fellow classmates, students from schools across Washington state spent days (and nights!) at Camp Sealth learning about local ecosystems through hands-on activities combining environmental science, team building, and adventure.
Young people need more access to camp, not less. Yet in 2025, the Washington State Legislature cut outdoor education subsidies that many schools have relied on for years to send their 5th and 6th graders to Camp Sealth. To bridge this gap, we’re offering financial assistance to as many schools as possible.
1,230
Students Retreated at Camp Sealth for Outdoor Education with their school
90%
of youth surveyed said that they learned how to be better stewards of the environment in Camp Fire programs
“Away from home, students discover new ways to belong. It’s a wonderful thing to see kids learning outdoors and just enjoying it, not feeling any stress.”
Kim Hay (she/her)
Special education teacher, Tillicum Middle School
Honoring the Past & Paving the Way for Future Generations
In 2025, we took a major step forward in preserving Camp Sealth for generations to come. Our third conservation land easement with King County permanently protects 106 acres of natural forests and landscapes around Camp Sealth. And it gives Camp Fire full ownership of the land, forever.
“This is a huge win for a beautiful place that countless youth and families have treasured for more than a century. It means Camp Sealth will be here, protected from future development, long after we’re all gone.”
Rick Taylor (he/him),
Executive Director
Laying the Groundwork to Update & Expand Camp Sealth
We’re making progress mapping out plans to give Camp Sealth’s well-loved facilities some much-needed maintenance and upgrades. Our vision is to transform a century-old summer camp into a premier year-round camp and conference facility. Top priorities include enhancing camper safety, improving program quality, and making the property more cohesive, accessible and energy efficient.
We recently partnered with a national architecture firm that led us through a Master Planning process. We are now working with our stakeholders to prioritize projects into phases and have begun meeting with government agencies about permitting and feasibility.
Perhaps most critical to the success of this vision, is mobilizing our donors to help us meet this incredible challenge and the other growing needs of Camp Fire.
Together, we can continue to make an incredible impact on our community.
To learn more about the plans for Camp Sealth’s future or to schedule a private tour please contact Rick Taylor, Executive Director, at rickt@campfireseattle.org.
Thanks to our inaugural
Giving Circle Donors!
In 2025, we launched a Giving Circle for those supporters committing to $1,500 gifts and above to inspire more philanthropy and create community amongst our donors. In the years to come, we envision this Giving Circle playing a leading role in updating Camp Sealth, while also investing in programs, financial assistance, staffing, and other top priorities.
- Karen & David Aoyama
- Sherry M. Atterbury
- Colleen Borst
- Jean & Charles Cerar
- Joanna Cerar
- Christiana DelloRusso & Wayne Higgins
- Susan & Frank Finneran
- Kenneth & Beryl Goodchild
- Suzanne M. Hittman
- Susan Hockberger & John Berti
- The Hunter Family
- Kathy & Phil Jones
- Patricia & Carl Kishline
- Hans Mandt
- Shelli Martineau
- Sarah Methner
- Mary & Roger Olsen
- AJ & Walter Saubert
- Jay Searles
- Jennifer Tada
- Cara Thompson
- Hillary U & Peter Freeman
“The time you spend with children and families is an investment in the future. This is why my husband Roger and I support Camp Fire.”
Mary Olsen, Giving Circle member
Join the Circle
If you’d like to learn more about the Giving Circle and how you can amplify the impact of your gift, please contact Kristen Cook, Director of Donor Relations, at kristenc@campfireseattle.org.
$188,688
Raised from Giving Circle Donors
Your Invitation to Kindle New Sparks
Like so many people, I’ve had many different Camp Fire experiences. I’ve been a group member and a camper, a staff member for summer camp and year-round programs, a camp nurse and now a member of the Board of Directors. I’m so thankful to everyone whose support made these experiences possible.
It’s especially meaningful to me now that my niece Aryanna attends Camp Sealth too, continuing in my family’s rich tradition.
One of the ways I show my gratitude is by staying involved and giving back. I invite you to do the same by volunteering, joining us at an event, spreading the word about Camp Fire, making a financial gift — any show of support that feels right for you.
However you choose to kindle new sparks, you’re making a meaningful investment in the present and future of Camp Fire.
THANK YOU for your support!
Joanna Cerar
President, Board of Directors
2025 – BIG Year of Impact!
6,300
Total Youth & Teens Served in a Camp Fire Program
$63,025
Total Amount of Financial Assistance Given
81
Camp Fire Families in Need Received Full/Partial Camperships
Immeasurably positive impact made on youth and families in our community!!