OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
We have learned alongside our Community Partners as they have faced challenges, overcome barriers, and achieved extraordinary successes. Find out more about each project and the outcomes below.
YEAR
2011
GRANT CATEGORY
Environment
GRANT AMOUNT
$108,400
Organization:
Camp Fire USA Balcones Council
Project Title:
Camp Fire Kids Unplugged
Project Description:
Camp Fire USA Balcones Council builds caring, confident youth and future leaders, developing the whole child and strengthening the family through diverse service-learning programs.
The grant from Impact Austin will enable the Balcones Council to establish ten Camp Fire Kids Unplugged clubs in seven Del Valle elementary schools, connecting house-restricted, underprivileged children and their families with nature. Eighty participating families will experience fun outdoor recreational activities led by nature experts and club mentors. The families will be trained in safety procedures and nature preservation, and each club will complete an annual environmental stewardship project.
Grant Status:
Camp Fire met its first-year goal of forming seven clubs with a total of 54 participating families and its second year goal of forming 10 clubs with a total of 80 participating families.
The organization succeeded in carrying out its program objectives of each club completing 10 outings in 10 months during the cycle year; in the first year, all seven clubs completed their 10 outings for a total of 70 outings, while the 10 clubs in the second year exceeded their outing goal of 100 outings by 11 for a total of 111 outings. The clubs also participated in various nature activities over the course of the year, including, but not limited to, gardening workshops, rowing lessons, guided hikes, and service activities.
Moreover, Camp Fire surpassed its goal of having 50 families trained in the Leave No Trace ethics curriculum, with 79 families officially having been trained during the grant period.
Because of Impact Austin’s grant, Camp Fire’s reach into the community was significantly broadened. Camp Fire was able to engage 134 families through Camp Fire Family Nature Clubs and an additional 90 families through outreach events at the schools and service day events such as Earth Day, resulting in 224 total families and 439 children impacted. Over the course of the Impact Austin grant cycle, the organization reports a total of 10,164 hours spent outdoors.
Camp Fire Kids Unplugged is now Camp Fire Family Nature Clubs.