Camp Fire has helped shape artists, activists, rock stars, rocket scientists… and the 44th Mayor of Fort Worth, Betsy Price.
As we continue our celebration of alum and legacy throughout the month of July, Camp Fire First Texas is proud to honor Price as one of our own. Not only is she the former mayor of Fort Worth, but she is also a former Blue Bird and Camp Fire Girl. Her mother was a Camp Fire Girls group leader and Price later volunteered as a Camp Fire group leader for her daughter, as well.
We recently talked with Price where she shared how being involved with Camp Fire impacted her, how she stays connected with other Camp Fire alumni, and why Camp Fire’s programs are still so important today.
“Camp Fire has always been a part of my life and family,” Price says. “I went to El Tesoro and am still involved there as I participate in the Camp Classic Trail Run for as many years as I can.”
When asked how her Camp Fire connection as a youth influenced her as an adult, Price counts leadership, being a part of her community, and a lifelong passion for service as some of the lessons she learned.
Being involved with Camp Fire also helped Price find her spark. “Camp Fire is very good about directly and indirectly giving you correct leadership skills. Everybody in your group has to do certain programs and work on certain badges,” Price recalls. “My mother was the leader of my group and I was what my siblings called ‘bossy’. Camp Fire helped me to direct some of that and get it going in the right direction.”
To this day, Price has remained connected with those she went to camp with. She has also remained connected with the friends and mothers of her daughter’s camp years. “We just all stayed friends because we had a lot of the same experiences in common and we were all interested in the same issues,” Price says.
And there isn’t anything about her Camp Fire days that she would have changed. Well, actually, there is one thing. “I probably could have spent more time at camp,” Price says. And she’s a strong supporter of today’s youth doing just that, especially considering the big role that technology plays in their lives.
“Kids today are not exposed to enough outside activity, particularly our inner-city kids and kids who live in big cities,” Price says. “They just don’t see that outdoor life and I’m a big proponent of community health. There’s nothing quite like being out in hiking areas, learning to swim, riding horseback, archery, all kinds of things. When you get kids away from technology, they’re going to develop more of their interpersonal skills, as well as have that chance to be outside. It’s so good for your health, but it’s also so good for your mental state.”
This year, Camp Fire First Texas is thrilled to have Price, along with her husband Tom, serve as the Honor Chairs for our annual An Artists’ Christmas gala and art auction. The event will be held on November 4th at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
To serve as an Honor Chair for the organization, that became co-ed in the 1970s, is what Price describes as a “full-circle event.”
