Skip is all smiles after leading a craft for Day Campers!

Camp Fire ignites the Sampelayo family’s giving spirit

Growing up as the only boy in a home with four sisters, Skip Sampelayo recalls looking on enviously at “all the cool things” the girls did in Camp Fire.

“They would have their group meeting at our house,” he remembers, “and they were always doing some craft or activity. I was jealous!”

That was before Camp Fire opened its doors to all kids. Decades later, the organization’s inclusiveness is one of many things that keeps Skip engaged as a volunteer, donor and dedicated ambassador.

“Three things differentiate Camp Fire from other organizations,” explains Skip, a former board member and long-time day camp volunteer. “They don’t exclude and are open to boys, girls, children with disabilities, truly all children. Also, there’s the connection with the environment, teaching children to be good stewards of the world we live in. And finally, teaching leadership to create tomorrow’s leaders.”

A retired Boeing executive, Skip carried on the Camp Fire tradition – which began with his mother in the 1930s – by involving his own two daughters, Kerrie and Erin, who were campers, counselors and volunteers. Today, Kerrie works as our day camp director.

It’s a legacy that will even live on when Skip is gone. He’s chosen to remember Camp Fire in his will as a member of our Legacy Torch Circle.

“With Camp Fire, I know I’m investing in tomorrow.”

Be sure to read the other articles from the most recent issue of The Torch!