Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Donates $800,000 to The Campaign for Camp Fire

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helps the Camp Fire Campaign with a $800,000 donation. Camp Fire USA Central Puget Sound Council is halfway to a $9 million campaign goal.

SEATTLE -- Today, Lee Drechsel, the chief executive officer of Camp Fire USA Central Puget Sound Council announced a leadership gift of $800,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to The Campaign for Camp Fire. This donation will help to renovate and transform Camp Sealth and Camp Niwana into year-round facilities, maintain the camps for future generations of youth, and double program scholarships through creation of a permanent endowment.

More than two million children have passed through Camp Fires portals since 1911. Plans for the camps include weatherization, restoration and expansion of the environmental education program, which began last year to assist schools in meeting the state mandate.
Camp Fire has been an integral part of this community for over 92 years, and Camp Sealth and Camp Niwana are precious resources for all of us. This important grant means that more children can have the life-changing experience of camp," said Lee Drechsel.

Camp Fire USA is a nationwide nonprofit youth development agency that serves over 650,000 participants in 41 states. Founded in 1910, Camp Fire builds caring, confident youth and future leaders. Local branch offices in Bremerton, Redmond, Kent and Seattle serve more than 17,000 boys and girls, ages 5 to 18. For information on Camp Fire programs, call 1-800-451-CAMP or visit http://www.campfire-usa.org/.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to improving people's lives by sharing advances in health and learning with the global community. Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates, Sr., and Patty Stonesifer, the Seattle-based foundation has an endowment of approximately $24 billion.

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