Firefighters to fill bucket on Saturday to help camp

A fund-raiser for a camp that hosts burn survivors from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana and Idaho is Saturday in neighborhoods all over the Puget Sound area. In Renton city firefighters will be at the intersection of Benson Road and Southeast Petrovitsky Road, next to the Benson Shopping Center, asking people to “fill the bucket” with donations.

A fund-raiser for a camp that hosts burn survivors from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana and Idaho is Saturday in neighborhoods all over the Puget Sound area.

In Renton city firefighters will be at the intersection of Benson Road and Southeast Petrovitsky Road, next to the Benson Shopping Center, asking people to “fill the bucket” with donations.

Called the Bucket Brigade, organizers for Camp Eyabsut are trying to raise funds for the camp that was canceled this year by the Northwest Burn Foundation.

While it is expected to return next year, the camp left about 60 to 70 youth in the lurch this year.

As of Wednesday, a grassroots effort led by Jeanette Day, a former planning chair and counselor, had raised almost $30,000. The goal is $80,000.

Money goes toward insurance, food, transportation for campers, activities, supplies and rental of the facilities, Camp Waskowitz.

The camp is scheduled for July 22-28 in North Bend.

Day expects the Saturday fund drive to be significant and said the group will reassess its goal around June 20.

If the group hasn’t met the goal then, she said it will still hold the camp but maybe scale back on days.

There will also be multiple locations in Kent, where volunteers are asking the same of community members.

For more on the efforts visit www.saveburncamp.org or email questions to eyabsut@gmail.com.

Donations can be mailed to: Eyabsut Family Burn Foundation, PO Box 784, Kent, WA 98035-0784.