Camp Fire President & CEO Lauren Richard Celebrates Two Years of Success!, a Camp Fire First Texas blog

Lauren Richard, Camp Fire First Texas (CFFT) President and CEO, looks back with pride on how far the organization has come in the past two years since she came on board during the pandemic.

Richard, who took over as President and CEO on Oct. 12, 2020, knew the task before her would be daunting, but that CFFT, a 108-year-old organization that is one of the largest boys and girls programs in the U.S., could weather the challenges by focusing on the people who make the mission possible.

“What I’ve learned in leading us through that crisis is that if you have the right people involved with your organization, you can really weather any storm,” Richard said. “Our staff, supporters, volunteers, and everyone in the community all came together to make sure we were able to provide amended services to folks who still needed us.”

Richard says the biggest changes she’s seen over the past two years are most reflected in the organization’s programs. Most significantly, one of CFFT’s core outdoor education programs was forced to close its 2020 camps for the first time in its history, moving a lot of its services to a virtual format. Fortunately, this year the outdoor programs are back and better than ever, and without the COVID protocols that were necessary last year.

“Our outdoor programming is back to pre-COVID numbers, which is wonderful to see,” Richard said. “We are back to offering a really wonderful experience for all of our campers.”

Another significant accomplishment for Richard is the launch earlier this year of an Early Education Apprenticeship Program, a free educational and career pathway building program for early educators, that has grown from 20 to 60 apprentices since the spring. In addition, Richard said CFFT has revamped its Teens in Action Program, which now includes many new community partners and experiences for teens focused on career exploration and college and scholarship readiness.

Richard is also very proud of the strides CFFT has made the past two years in fundraising, attracting new talent and culture development. Its 2022 fundraising events have been the most successful in its history and CFFT has increased its staff from 68 to 83 full-time employees.

“We are really reaching and exceeding our fundraising goals, which tells me the community has got a lot of confidence in what we do and, in our mission,” Richard said. “That’s wonderful motivation for our staff, which we’ve really been able to grow. Our culture has moved from a hierarchical culture to an egalitarian one, in which everyone has a voice. Everyone feels safe and has a sense of belonging. That has really opened avenues for big ideas, innovation, and moving our programs forward.”