In Support of The Firs

Giving to the General Fund at The Firs does not involve a specific designation. The gifts to this fund go directly towards covering operational expenses of the whole organization. You can choose to give a one time gift to the G/F or you can give on a regular basis throughout the year. We can set you up with a monthly electronic fund transfer from your checking or saving account or through PayPal can charge your gift to your credit card (Visa or MasterCard).

Gifts can be directed to our Critical Gifts Campaign (CGC) which benefits the General Fund of The Firs as well. All CGC donations get split out evenly between our Centerhouse project, our General Fund and our Campership Fund. This way your gift can benefit three significant needs of The Firs at once.

THE FIRWOOD CENTERHOUSE is our primary capital project at the present. The construction of this crucial building is complete and it is currently in use. The funding of this project, however, will continue until the end of 2011. This is a $2.7 million project that is our highest priority from a fundraising perspective.

The need for a new dining room at Firwood has grown now for many years. The previous building was considerably undersized for the numbers in attendance and not up to speed with current requirements and codes. Below are some of the building specifics and benefits of our new facility.

Size of Structure

• Main Floor – 7,978 square feet plus 2,150 square feet of deck
• Day light basement – 3,850 square feet of storage (multiple usage potential)
• Allows for 450 diners with an additional 78 on the deck for overflow
• Roll-up 'garage doors' allow for easy accessibility between dining room and deck and for opening the building up to the outside.

Benefits of New Building

• A central kitchen and dining location that can make possible the expansion of food service to remote sites (i.e. South Cove, Challenge Course).
• Direct access to kitchen and storage with delivery trucks and vendors
• Indoor space accessible for full camp gatherings in inclement weather during the summer and the 'shoulder season'.
• Fully serviced facility for expanded camp programming (room for growth)
• Simple, durable construction that fits well with the camp environment, makes cleaning easy and holds up to the rigors of camp life.

Other Capital Project Needs

Our desire is to keep all of our facilities and program features in good condition as well as upgraded and improved appropriately. This requires funding outside of our normal operational budget. So, for each site we have established improvement funds. If you would like to give towards these improvements please check the appropriate box.

One of our primary concerns at The Firs is to do all that we can do to keep camp affordable and not just available to the wealthy. We do this by relying on contributions to our General Fund and, therefore, subsidizing the growing expenses of our programs. But for many still, that is not enough. So we have established a Campership Fund which serves as a means for parents who can't afford to send their kids to camp to actually get the chance to do just that. Through this fund we are able to disburse $25-50,000 per year but the needs are much greater. Contributions to this fund go directly to helping get these kids to camp.

How Does it Help?

Simply put, our golf marathon is an annual event that allows our participants to reach out to dozens of friends, family members and acquaintances in an effort to support the ministries of The Firs in a fun and creative manner. By combining the love of a game, the craziness of playing it all day long and a wide network of people - a substantial amount of money can be raised in a unique and relatively short period of time. Golf, therefore, takes on a new meaning as every swing of the club directly helps us provide a quality camping experience for thousands.

How Does it Work?

Golfers will tee off at dawn with a goal of playing 100 or more holes of golf in ten hours. The rules are modified in order to allow for a fast pace. Each golfer prior to the event will be equipped with forms that help them raise a goal of $2500 each. Golfers will sponsor themselves (entry fee) for $1.25 per hole; gather their sponsorship team from friends and family; find a caddie to join with them; and have a blast out on a beautiful golf course with others doing the same thing.

Here is Where We Need Help

• Golfers to participate in the event and get friends and family to sponsor them
• Businesses to help out as corporate sponsors for the event
• Caddies to assist the golf marathoners
• Volunteers to help in the running of the event

If you would like to be involved with this fun day long event give us a call or send us an email and we will send you all of the information you need.

Email: Anna Johnston (event coordinator)
The Firs: 360-733-6840

Our Event for 2011 is September 15 at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club

October 15, 2011

5:30pm - Bellwether Hotel

Join us at the Bellwether Hotel Ballroom on October 15th, 2011, for our 5th annual Firs Extravaganza dinner and auction! An evening of great food, delectable desserts and lively bidding on a host of fabulous items is in store. All proceeds from the night will benefit the ministries and programs of Camp Firwood, Fircreek Day Camp, the Retreat Center, ASA and the Chalet.

Here is How You Can Help:

• Attend: Join us on October 15th and bring your friends! Tickets are $45 each.
• Donate: Items to be auctioned off - products, tickets, trips, memorabilia, services, etc...
• Desserts: Donate either homemade or purchased dessert(s) for the dessert auction after dinner.
• Volunteer: Volunteer to help us run the event.

Call today (360-733-6840) or e-mail (anna@thefirs.org) to make your reservations or to find out more about how you can help with the event.

The Firs, 4605 Cable Street, Bellingham, WA 98229 • 800.765.3477 or 360.733.6840
Copyright © 2011 • info@thefirs.org