One of the things I like best about my job is getting to meet the movers and shakers of our community, some of which are serving on our Camp Fire First Texas Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for setting the direction of Camp Fire, and therefore are an important part of this organization.

They come from all different directions, both literally and figuratively, to help us make Camp Fire the best it can be. These are people with servant hearts, they take on other’s tasks or problems and make them their own. They have a passion for our mission to better our world through positively impacting the young lives in our community and helping them thrive.

There is not much that is more inspiring than the discussions that come about at a board meeting with everyone working together to help our organization, even though they don’t necessarily start on the same page. We recently had a wonderful event come out of one of these discussions, our new TopGolf Tournament. Through a discussion amongst people who felt differently about a full-blown golf tournament, the event morphed to something that was perfect for our organization and lots of fun!

This is a fine example of people with different perspectives coming together and through discussion, compromise and innovative ideas, they come up with the best solution. Several of our board members took it and ran. We had a wonderful event chair who gave a lot of his time and expertise, with lots of support from his team. Everyone had a great time and it will likely become a fundraising staple for us.

Although we ask for a personally meaningful level of financial support from our board, what we love is the wealth of knowledge and personal involvement. Every year we ask board members to visit our program sites. We want them to understand what we do and how we do it. They each take away something different from the experience and can bring that to the table at our meetings. This gives them a unique perspective when it comes to helping guide the council to where it should be.

As our Board Development Committee starts the process of selecting the next class of board members, I love seeing the diversity of our prospective members. Diversity that includes age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, but especially diversity of thought. Everyone has their individual talents that are treasures to an organization like ours. Different points of view make this council better, because without diversity there is no growth. If everyone is the same, how can you change and grow into something better? So, we try to recruit board members who will bring new perspectives and help us think beyond our standard practices.

One thing this concept takes to work is a common goal that everyone can get behind. It is so important to have a relationship with your community and look outside your own little bubble to the big picture. Be involved in what others are doing and come to the table ready to share your thoughts, while listening to theirs. Work together with the community to make it better for everyone, or even just some.

I think embracing differences, and how much that could change our community, is something we should all learn. We try to do that here at Camp Fire, and then just hang on for the ride.

Are you interested in serving on Camp Fire’s board? Let us know.

Nancy Scheffler serves as the council’s Executive Assistant. Before coming to Camp Fire, Nancy worked as a preschool director. After taking several of Camp Fire’s professional development classes, she joined the council as an administrative assistant. She transitioned to a role as a registrar for Camp Fire programs, and later moved into a technology manger position. After living in Maryland for six years, she returned to Texas and accepted her current position at Camp Fire. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University.