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Vintage Vines Event Sparkles at Semple Mansion 
The wine-tasting event drew 144 guests and raised close to $25,000 to support the youth and families of Camp Fire.
Camp Fire USA Minnesota Council's second annual wine tasting
event on Thursday, November 5th was a huge success. The theme, vintage vines,
was a nod to Camp Fire USA's centennial in 2010. The wines
tasted all came from vintage vines and wineries - most of them also right
around 100 years old. The wine tasting was led by cellar master Bill Coy, who
regaled the crowd with stories of the wines tasted. Board President Bill
Minkkinen also gave a moving welcome.
With 144 guests, Vintage Vines more than doubled the turnout
at Camp Fire's wine tasting event last year.
Many of the guests were attending their first Camp
Fire event and were excited to learn
more about Camp Fire and its programs. The event far
surpassed its goals for both attendance and money raised.
Through the generous support of the event's sponsors and
attendees, Camp Fire will be able to provide
out-of-school-time and summer programs to youth in our communities. Camp Fire
programs provide youth who need it most with the opportunity to have fun in a
safe space, learn new skills, build confidence and develop lasting friendships.
Camp Fire programs make a difference in youth's lives: at
the event, Marnie Wells, Camp Fire's CEO, shared a letter written by Nicole, a
parent, about the benefit of Camp
Fire to her child. "Camp Fire
is a huge asset to my child," Nicole wrote. "It gives him an activity
to do after school and it taught him values and respect!"
Photos from the event can be seen at Camp Fire USA Minnesota Council's Flickr page.
Thank you to our event sponsors: Cirus Controls, LLC, Wipfli
CPAs and Consultants, LLC, Bremer Bank, Securus Wealth Management, and Jim
Goodland.
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Camp Fire USA Minnesota Council has Moved!
 Our new administrative offices are located in Uptown, just across from Lake Calhoun.
As we celebrate Camp Fire's 100th anniversary, we're getting a fresh start on
the next 100 years with a new office location in the heart of Uptown. Our new
office brings us closer to Camp Tanadoona and is more connected to nature, with
Lake Calhoun right across the street.
We know we'll fit right in: the big
green chairs out in front of our new building were made by the Green Chair
Project, a local youth development organization.
Update your address book!
New Address:
3100
West Lake St. Suite 100, Minneapolis,
MN 55416
New Office Phone: 612-285-6255
Toll Free: 1-888-335-8778 - still the same!
Special thanks to those who helped us with the move:
Jon Rausch and Luke Appert with Northmarq, Joy Murra and Matt Anderson with
the Minnesota Hospital Association, David Meyer with
Lindquist & Vennum.
Thanks also to EMPO for welcoming us so graciously into their space.
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Club Leaders Learn Skills for Responding to Community Needs
 Trainings in behavior management and affordable housing help club leaders to meet kids where they are and to develop mutually respectful relationships.
Each month Camp Fire
offers trainings for club leaders working in the community programs department.
These trainings help club leaders to stay up to date on best practices for
working with youth and give them the chance to learn from experts in the
field.
This month
we were joined by Dave Wilmes of St. Paul Youth Services. Dave's talk focused
on behavior management styles, de-escalating power struggles, and the nuances
of working with youth who are growing up in circumstances in which their basic
needs aren't being met.
After the training,
club leaders commented that the information on how to de-escalate situations
that look like they might get out of hand would be very useful with their
clubs. Learning about "why the
misbehaving youth act like they do" was also great, one club leader said.
In October
we were joined by Jolene Andersen, who has worked with CommonBond Communities
for the past 9 years. CommonBond Communities is the Upper Midwest's largest nonprofit provider of affordable
housing with on-site services. Their mission is to build community by creating
affordable housing as a stepping stone to success.
CommonBond is Camp Fire's
largest community partner - we provide programming at 11 CommonBond sites,
including two sites - Trails Edge in Maplewood
and New Village
in Minneapolis -
that are new this year.
Jolene informed club leaders about housing in Minnesota and the kind
of services provided through some affordable housing lenders. She also answered
questions about how best to provide programming and outreach for affordable
housing sites.
These trainings help club leaders to be more effective
leaders and mentors in their club groups.
When club leaders demonstrate an understanding of where they're coming
from, youth are better able to participate fully in club activities and develop
into caring, confident youth.
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Camp Ojiketa Canoes for Sale
Own a piece of Camp
Ojiketa with your very own Camp Ojiketa
canoe! We have 11 well-maintained canoes
for sale with the Camp
Ojiketa insignia on the
side. The canoes are 17 foot aluminum Grumman canoes and are very reasonably
priced at $150 each. If interested in
purchasing a canoe, contact Bill Donald at 952-474-8085 (camp), 612-282-5989
(cell) or billd@campfireusa-mn.org.
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Firewood for Sale at Camp Tanadoona
Quality firewood for sale at Camp Tanadoona. The wood is all hardwood - largely oak and
maple. Keep toasty warm this winter
while supporting Camp
Tanadoona! $100 for 2/3
cord (fills the back of a pickup truck).
Smaller amounts are available, price negotiable. All wood will need to be picked up from Camp Tanadoona
in Chanhassen. To arrange a time to pick
up your wood, contact Bill Donald at 952-474-8085 (camp), 612-282-5989 (cell)
or billd@campfireusa-mn.org.
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Best Regards,
Marnie K. Wells, Chief Executive Officer
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