Quincy Henry and his wife, Whitni, started

“One of our earliest customers in our online store—and a fan of what we are doing—was Nicole [from Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma],” says Quincy. “She passed our info along to Erin at National Headquarters. And at the same time, the local council here had been reaching out.” 

Instead of being concerned about name confusion, the message was simple: Let’s work together! 

“We’re both called Campfire! We have a similar theme,” Quincy laughs. “Both Whitni and I were like, this is a no brainer. Let’s do it!” 

Those initial discussions led to a special edition Camp Fire + Campfire coffee—inspired by Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. 

About the Partnership

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“We’re super excited about it because we’re still building out what our nonprofit side will look like,” says Quincy. “In the meantime, we get to put our efforts and energy toward organizations that have a similar mission,” 

Quincy and Whitni are developing Explorers Club, a nonprofit arm of Campfire Coffee, to bring outdoor activities to a more diverse audience. Their new headquarters will have outdoor gear rentals and classes on using that gear correctly and staying safe in nature. “Anybody who has felt like being in the outdoors has not been necessarily attainable to them—we want to break down barriers and create more access for them,” explains Quincy.  

The outdoors played a pivotal part in Quincy’s life. Growing up, he heard tales of his family’s earlier outdoor adventures in Alaska, but they didn’t regularly spend time in nature after they moved to Washington, where Quincy was born and raised. 

“I heard the stories, and I had a romanticized idea of it,” laughs Quincy. But his turn was coming. In 5th and 6th grade, he attended the Outdoor School program at Waskowitz Outdoor Center.

“Camp Waskowitz had a huge impact on me,” says Quincy. “That’s where I really feel in love with nature.” 

He became a high-school leader and a trainer there as he got older, and even turned down a full-time position with them to go to college, instead. In addition to kickstarting his lifelong camping habit, that outdoor program also taught him the importance of encouragement in kids’ lives.

“One of the magic things about being at Wasko was that there was so much positivity,” says Quincy. “In high school, part of the training curriculum was to find these would-be leaders’ strengths and build them up.”

Quincy says he was lucky to have positive affirmation at home, at camp, and from teachers at school. He drew on that adult support as his passions led him to a music career—when his four older brothers were all Division 1 college athletes. 

“I had a lot of pressure to perform up to their level,” Quincy says. “All of that extra encouragement and positive energy to do what I loved made a world of difference.” 

Quincy has made it a point to pay that positive, supportive energy forward, whether by mentoring young musicians, building Explorers Club, or pouring into the lives of his own three children (ages 8, 6 and 4). 

“I feel like you can never have enough guidance and direction when you’re young,” says Quincy. “I try to be that person for people. Especially for the kiddos. They need it!”

Want to be like Quincy? Pledge to tell a young person what makes them incredible. Mark your calendar for Absolutely Incredible Kid Day on March 18,2021. 

Campfire Coffee Co. is the proud sponsor of Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®

Looking for some outdoor inspiration in the Pacific Northwest? Here are Quincy and his family’s current top spots for some return-to-nature R&R: 

• Cape Disappointment State Park “Not a disappointment! It’s a gorgeous state park.”
• Dash Point State Park “If we just want to get away for a weekend, we load up the RV and slide down to Dash Point.”
• Lake Chelan State Park “Phe-nom-en-al.” 
• Lake Wenatchee State Park “Another beautiful one just outside of Leavenworth, which looks like something out of a fairy tale.” 
• Millersylvania State Park “That is a picturesque state park. I need to get back there.”

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#TROOPZERO – currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video– is named the first National Sponsor of Camp Fire’s Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® 2020.

This month, Camp Fire launched its partnership with the Amazon original movie Troop Zero to kick off the promotion of its annual Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® holiday. We invite you to nominate an Incredible Kid in your life (the deadline is Jan. 31!).

#KidDay (or #AIKD) is celebrated every third Thursday of March (March 19, 2020), activating millions of adults throughout the country to send notes (in any medium) to the kids in their lives, telling them why they are incredible.

In support of the film’s launch on Prime Video Jan. 17 weekend, Amazon Studios hosted special screenings for hundreds of Camp Fire youth and their families in five markets: Seattle, WA; Long Beach, CA; Minneapolis, MN; Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, MO.

“The collaboration with Troop Zero for Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® gives us the perfect opportunity to celebrate even more kids across the U.S. in 2020,” said Greg Zweber, president and CEO of Camp Fire. “Troop Zero has a strong focus on championing youth, as well as a love of nature, science, inclusion, and the power of friendship – all themes that tie into many of our values within Camp Fire.”

Set in rural 1977 Georgia, Troop Zero is the story of a misfit girl who dreams of life in outer space. When a national competition offers her a chance at her dream, to be recorded on NASA’s Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troop of Birdie Scouts, forging friendships that last a lifetime and beyond. Starring Viola Davis, Jim Gaffigan, Allison Janney, Mike Epps, Charlie Shotwell, and McKenna Grace, the 2019 Sundance selection includes female-directing duo Bert & Bertie and writer Lucy Alibar.

Camp Fire created Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® in 1997 to encourage our nation’s youth and to activate adults across the U.S. to write a young person in their lives and tell them what makes them incredible. Your words are powerful. Encourage, inspire, and uplift a kid in your life—that is the goal of this unique holiday. Today, Camp Fire’s 52 councils, located in 25 states and Washington D.C., will engage their communities online and offline to participate in this powerful holiday. Notable past participants in Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® include former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Oprah, Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry Rice and U.S. Astronaut and former Senator John Glenn

2020’s Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® is March 19.

Additionally, as part of this year’s celebration, in partnership with Camp Fire Heart of Iowa, Camp Fire National Headquarters will select two national Incredible Kid honorees to be recognized at the Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® Celebration on March 24 in Des Moines, IA, along with three local Des Moines Incredible Kid honorees. Nominate an Incredible Kid you know: campfire.org/kidday-nominations.

For more information on Camp Fire or Absolutely Incredib

le Kid Day®, please visit campfire.org and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. To showcase your incredible kid on social media, follow along on your favorite platform and please use the hashtags #AIKD and #KidDay.

For more information on Troop Zero, please follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

For logos, photos and Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® video assets, please click here.

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ABOUT CAMP FIRE

Camp Fire has been an inclusive, innovative leader in youth development since 1910. Its proven programs give kids the life skills they need now so they can succeed and thrive. Last year, Camp Fire’s 52 councils served more than 187,000 youth and families across 25 states and in D.C. All Camp Fire programs are based on cutting-edge research and founded on the pillars of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), delivered through Out-of-School-Time (OST) programs, environmental education and camp, and teen service and leadership development. Because youth shape the world, Camp Fire’s focus is on giving youth and teens the opportunity to find their spark, lift their voice, and discover who they are. For more information, visit campfire.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Julie Samuelson

Public Relations Account Executive | Quillin Advertising, Public Relations & Social Media

702.800.7803 | julies@quillinlv.com

The post Camp Fire Partners with Movie TROOP ZERO to Celebrate Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® 2020 appeared first on Camp Fire.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2018

The Medium Doesn’t Matter, the Message Does: Tell a Kid Why They Amaze You on Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®

On March 15, Thousands Will Participate Nationwide in Camp Fire’s Unique #KidDay Holiday With One Goal—to Encourage Kids

Every year, on the third Thursday of March, thousands of adults across the country send notes, emails, letters, texts, or videos to encourage the young people in their lives. Why? It’s Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®. The medium doesn’t matter, the message does: “You are incredible, and here’s why…” This year, #AIKD is celebrated on March 15, 2018.

Camp Fire, an innovative leader in youth development since 1910, founded Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® in 1997 to inspire, encourage, and uplift our nation’s youth. Camp Fire’s 53 councils, in 25 states and D.C., will engage their communities online and offline (through special events and programs) for this powerful holiday.

“We can all remember a moment as a child when an adult spoke words of encouragement that struck a chord in our heart and seared into our mind. Those words can change our lives, build our confidence in who we are, and transform what we believe about ourselves.” – President and CEO Cathy Tisdale

“Kids are hungry for our encouragement, to really feel seen and heard. What better way than to dedicate a day, once a year, to celebrating a kid in your life and telling them why they are incredible?” said President and CEO Cathy Tisdale. “We invite you to join thousands across the country, along with the Camp Fire Movement and our philanthropic and community partners, to celebrate the amazing kids we know on Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®!”

Fostering self-esteem and self-confidence in youth through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a cornerstone of Camp Fire’s “Thrive{ology}” program framework. Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® is another way to build up a child and reinforce their individual importance, using the power of words. In fact, one young woman in California recently went off to college and took 12 years’ worth of her Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® letters with her because they had made such an impact on her life!

Camp Fire councils throughout the U.S. are holding events, such as a letter-writing station set up at a mall with local celebrities in Florida; an evening dinner celebration in Iowa; the governors of Massachusetts and Texas issuing state-wide proclamations for Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® and holding a photo op with their local kids; a fundraiser breakfast in Kansas City; a free ice-skating event for families in Oregon; the capturing of video testimonials in Washington State; and an in-school activity in California, just to name a few. National Digital Media partners include Interbrand Health, New York Life Foundation, Lathrop & Gage LLP, Nonprofit Risk Management Center, Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, Youth Service America, and Afterschool Alliance.

“At a time when our youth are being bombarded with conflicting and negative messages via the 24/7 news cycles and social media and too many kids are feeling marginalized or left out, Absolutely Incredible Kid Day is the perfect opportunity for all of us to come together and lift them up,” said Tisdale. “Can you think of time better spent?”

Your words are powerful. Will you promise to tell at least one kid why they are incredible?
Here are some resources to help you write a kid in your life:

• Letterhead you can print off
• 5 Ways you can make an impact
• Writing tips, ideas & examples

You can follow the event on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and see what others are doing by using the hashtags #AIKD and #KidDay. Thanks for celebrating youth with us!

For more information, please contact:

Erin Risner, Director of Marketing & Communications, Camp Fire National Headquarters

816.285.2001, erin.risner@campfire.org

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