Game Night Raises $30,000! – Camp Fire Central Puget Sound

Sponsored by Food Services of America & Hub International, our 3rd Annual Game Night took place October 21st at Pyramid Brewery in Seattle. Emceed by volunteer & Camp Fire alum Mark Aoyama, the event attracted 120 attendees who were treated to pub trivia courtesy of Geeks Who Drink, tasty food and drinks, a game of heads or tails and a raffle and silent auction that were full of exciting items!

A standout in our teen leadership program, Hope shared her experiences with the Game Night crowd helping kick-off an incredibly successful Raise the Paddle which raised $11,000 alone!

Hope’s Story

“My given name is Hope, but at camp I go by Atlas, which is what all my friends from my CIT crew call me. This year was my 7th summer at Camp Sealth and I can’t imagine spending my summers anywhere else.

I started out in a Camp Fire group when I was in 1st grade with some friends from school and kids from the neighborhood. My mom was in Camp Fire when she was young and had such great memories that she wanted me to make some of my own.

Hope (front row, far right) is all smiles with her fellow Camp Fire Spring Break Road Trippers!

Our group, the Blue Angels did all kinds of different things. We wrote letters to veterans for Veterans Day. We had etiquette lessons and threw a Mom and Daughter tea party to practice the manners we learned. Our group held annual Bake Sales to support causes like West Side Baby and the West Seattle Food Bank. One fall we toured the Theo chocolate factory and learned how chocolate is made. During the holidays we sang carols at a retirement community. We even wrote our own Blue Angels theme song; sung to the tune of Gilligan’s Island.

This past year I sold candy to help raise money for summer camp. I took a teen leadership trip during spring break to the Washington coast and volunteered in communities along the way. Every Martin Luther King holiday you will find me volunteering in the community with other teens in Camp Fire.

Throughout all the community involvement, the learning, the singing, what stands out to me the most in Camp Fire is the friendships.

My best friend Zoe has been with me since the beginning, but there are so many others that I have met along the way and created amazing memories with. This past summer, as a counselor in training at Camp Sealth, our crew was so connected and built such deep friendships over our four weeks together, that we didn’t want to go home.

I’m telling you my story so you can understand how important Camp Fire has been to me, and how it will continue to be important for me in the future. You will find me at our Teen Leadership retreat in January, I will be touring the coast again during spring break and I will probably be digging up invasive species somewhere on Martin Luther King Day.

Please raise your paddle and support Camp Fire tonight so teens like me can do all these incredible things, and make friendships that last a lifetime.”

All proceeds from Game Night directly benefit Camp Fire’s life-changing work with more than 5,000 kids, including Hope, and their families!