Craving more family time? If you already feel “overbooked,” signing up for another activity, or volunteering to lead one, may seem ludicrous. But the opportunities at Camp Fire USA might surprise you.

In its mission “to build caring, confident youth and future leaders,” the Camp Fire USA Central Puget Sound Council offers co-ed or single gender group programs for youth in grades K-12 and Community Family Clubs which share meals, learn, play and do service projects in all-inclusive settings, according to Cindy Scott, program manager at Camp Fire’s Redmond office.

Parents decide how often to meet, when and where. It could be once a week, once a month or whatever is most convenient. Adult leaders get suggested curriculum plans with lots of freedom to tailor activities to the group’s location and interests. As students get older, they take on more responsibility to organize activities.

Also, Camp Fire USA groups can be mixed between girls and boys of different ages and from different schools or neighborhoods. It’s all about flexibility.

Perhaps one of Camp Fire USA’s most unique programs is the Saturday Club, a recreation program for children with disabilities and their siblings. It gives parents of special needs kids a five-hour break from caregiving, so they can catch up on shopping, see a movie or enjoy a relaxing meal.

“This is something that is so needed,” said Scott. “In some cases, these parents haven’t had a date in five years.”

And because older Camp Fire participants can help out at the Saturday Club, it teaches them compassion for peers who have health challenges.

The Central Puget Sound Council is the largest in the United States, with 17,354 kids and adults participating in 2007.

“Like any other youth organization, membership drops off as kids get older,” Scott noted.

But to make Camp Fire programs more meaningful to our diverse population, activities which once focused mainly on Indian lore have been adapted along the lines of “What’s your heritage?”

Scott explained that local children and teens have explored aspects of their own lineage, whether it’s Japanese, Scandinavian or any other ethnic group, while striving toward the ideals of “WOHELO” which stands for “work, health, love.”

The WOHELO award is Camp Fire’s highest honor, somewhat like the Eagle or Gold awards in Boy or Girl Scouts, Scott explained.

Working toward that award, participants win emblems and beads focusing on life skills such as choosing good nutrition or understanding what it’s like to have a disability; community service such as planting a tree or cleaning up a park; completing arts and crafts, reading projects and so on.

Day camps and residential camps are offered in the summer and Camp Fire USA provides environmental education programs for grades K-12.

A fairly new program, for 6th-12th graders and their parents, is Daring Explorers, which shares outdoor adventures (hiking, biking, kayaking, etc.) about once a month.

The Redmond Program Center of Camp Fire USA’s Central Puget Sound Council is located at 16315 NE 87th St., Suite B12.

For information, contact Cindy Scott at cindy-s@campfire-usa.org or (425) 885-0477 or visit www.campfire-usa.org.