Camp Fire Sunshine Central Florida - Lakeland, Florida

Kara Mccatty

My son has been attending all of the camps and various holidays/closed school days and he loves it! I’m very happy with the counselors too. They are very engaging and offer various activities for the children. My son takes adhd meds during the school year and I do not give it to him during non school days. He has had some challenging days there and the counselors have been very understanding and patient with him. They even told me that they are not going to ask me to give him his medicine & will keep working with him which made me very happy. It seems to be a safe space where he feels loved and attended to. I like that they don’t call me for every little event like a meltdown, bump, bruise, etc. that happens. They understand that he is a kid, like every other kid & I work with patients so I cannot pick up my phone all of the time. They just handle it and communicate well when I pick him up. I was going to sign him up for a camp that was $75 less a week but I just can’t sign him up for any other camp knowing he is so well taken care of at Camp Fire! I will continue to send him here.

Sarah Ehler

I love this Camp Fire council mostly because I’ve seen how they truly do welcome all to their programs. They strive to be inclusive and work to build community as well as continue to give back to the community through service projects and programs all over the state. Camp Fire Sunshine Council is truly lighting the spark within and helping kids become more well rounded and hopefully create lifelong volunteers! Keep it up, Camp Fire! If I ever have kids, I’d send them there!

Jami

My daughter has really enjoyed the summer service learning projects! She has had great counselors and met some new friends too. She is now asking to do the school year ACES program!

Jodi Ann Baudean

When my son little would would often see scouts at different venues (aquarium, MOSI, Wekiwa Park, etc). He wanted to join scouts. Before he was old enough to join he asked me where the girls were. I had been in Camp Fire when I was a child. Camp Fire is inclusive. Camp Fire is all about making a safe place, a community for the youth to thrive. I became a leader. My son joined.

Later my daughter joined. We were involved with Camp Fire Sunshine Council for at least 10 years. My son became a Red Shirt Ace, proving to himself that he is strong, self-reliant, creative and dependable. Our family went camping with Sunshine Council every Spring and every Fall. We still love Camp Fire Council. It is staffed by employees and volunteers who are guided by their hearts to spend their energy and time to guide our youth to be their best.

Chrissanne Long

There are so many great things to share about the Camp Fire organization and all it does for the young leaders of our community. Helping young people find their spark. It's not a small thing, building our future leaders and the Camp Fire staff and supporters don't take this job lightly! Check out all the great things they do and share the word!

Kelley Jo

Campfire is a nonprofit organization, and I am very impressed with how much they do for the children. The staff is very accommodating and kind. My son has been going here for several years, & he is well cared for and loved. Thank you for all you do!

Adrienne Porfiriadis

My son went there only a month and he absolutely loved it there however the people there didn’t listen to me on how I wanted my son fed and my son kept having accidents after accidents there even after I gave them doctors orders. And instead of calling me the first time he had an accident they let him have multiple accidents and then text me and tell me and then have me pick him up and no longer allowed at the camp. I tried so many times to keep him there and told them multiple times how to keep him there and they never listened even to doctors orders and fed him food that I told them not to and then they tell me it didn’t make a bit of difference weather if it was my food or their food. And they threw his swimming trunks out after he had an accident instead of putting them in a bag or asking me. Not happy with the treatment i got there and my son was so happy there. A parent knows what their should eat and shouldn’t eat and the camp should have listened to doctors orders.And my son is 100% fully potty trained just to clarify for anyone reading this post that doesn’t think so. And I will not be told that Kindergarten will tolerate this when I told them numerous time over and over and over again that he never ever did this and never had this problem at school. It’s because my son was over fed to much food and I told them to stop and they didn’t listen. Don’t think I’ll ever have my son go back.

Lynn Anne Castleberry

Excellent youth development agency! Great after school and summer programs for elementary aged kids. Amazing opportunities for teens to earn service hours for school, scholarships, etd.