Founder Fire

August 14, 2023
Remembering Elizabeth “Bartie” Jones
Elizabeth Bartholomew Jones, better known as Bartie to the American Youth Foundation community, passed away July 31 at age 98. Bartie was born Aug. 28, …

May 25, 2023
Care Teams connect with campers’ mental, emotional health
As they prepared for summer 2022, the American Youth Foundation team was determined to provide a strong network of support for campers struggling with emotional …

March 21, 2023
First-year AYF campers take brave first steps toward independence
For almost 100 years, American Youth Foundation campers have embarked on journeys measured in miles, challenges, and personal growth. Like any journey, camp begins with …

February 27, 2023
AYF facilities teams focus on solid foundations
As youth returned to Merrowvista and Miniwanca in 2021 and 2022, the facilities teams focused on how the sites could best serve participants in the …

December 9, 2022
President Anna Kay Vorsteg looks back on 2022
For most of my adult life, I have kept a small paperweight on my desk that reads, “Every wall is a door.” We all need …

July 27, 2022
Enkindled Spirits: Hannah Puma
Hannah Puma’s AYF experience began when she was a small child, running around Miniwanca as her mom worked at camp for multiple summers. She couldn’t …

May 17, 2022
Enkindled Spirits: Grace Blinkhoff
Upon joining City Year AmeriCorps, each member is presented with a red jacket, which they dedicate to a person, idea, or cause that inspires them …

April 22, 2022
Meet AYF board chair DD Danforth-Burlin
The American Youth Foundation has played a pivotal role in DD Danforth-Burlin’s life. The four-fold way of living has steered her through her youth as …

March 22, 2022
Enkindled Spirits: Robert Pike
by Dana Rieck High school physics teacher Robert Pike works hard to learn his students’ names within the first three days of each semester, so …

February 18, 2022
NLC finds closer connection in 2021
by Dana Rieck National Leadership Conference participants were finally able to gather on the dunes of Miniwanca once again in 2021, albeit in a new, …

January 25, 2022
Creating Conversation and Change
While the COVID-19 pandemic brought many losses, it also ushered in new methods for creating community using virtual tools instead of live gatherings. One such …

December 8, 2021
Rekindling Community in Summer 2021
For the first time in more than a year, a familiar sound could be heard across the dunes of Miniwanca and the valleys of Merrowvista: …