News and Camper Stories
R.M. Pyles Boys Camp would not be able to deliver its mission without the support of so many generous individuals and companies in Southern California. One such organization that has been ever-present with its support of Pyles is Chevron.
Chevron San Joaquin Valley Business Unit will be returning as a Platinum Sponsor of our 2021 Kern County BBQ.
R.M. Pyles Boys Camp is made possible through community support from so many companies, foundations and individuals. We are very thankful to have received a new (to us) Honda Odyssey courtesy of Irrelevant Week and its CEO, Melanie Salata Fitch.
R.M. Pyles Boys Camp would not be able to deliver its mission without the support of so many generous individuals and companies in Southern California. One such Foundation that is instrumental to our success is the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation.
Recently, the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation extended their partnership with R.M. Pyles Boys Camp by generously donating $15,000 to support the boys who attend Pyles.
Pyles was recently featured in “El Popular” as part of Give Big Kern. You can read the entire article here:
R.M. Pyles Boys Camp, which allows at-risk youth to attend a multi-year summer wilderness camp and receive mentorship throughout the year at no cost, recently appointed two new members to its board of directors: George Salata, of Orange County, and Emelie Macpherson Smith, of Santa Monica.
George Salata
George Salata is retired from a family-owned underground construction company, Salata Inc. and San Plant, El Toro Materials Company. His long history with the R.M. Pyles Boys Camp began when he was a 13 year-old camper in 1951. His selector was a police officer named Tom Bradley, who later became Mayor of Los Angeles. His work with the camp continued until 1965. Beginning as a camper, Dining Room Steward, Cook’s Helper, Camp Counselor, Assistant Camp Director, and Full Time Camp Director, all under the watchful eye of Mr. Pyles. Today he is still involved with PACM (Pyles Alumni Committee Members) as Vice President.
Emelie Macpherson Smith
Emelie Macpherson Smith is the third generation to work for the family-owned oil producer in California, Macpherson Energy Corporation. Emelie is currently the Business & Treasury Manager. During her career with Macpherson, Emelie has managed the company’s public relations, overseen financial reporting and forecasts and has reviewed and negotiated land leases. Before working for the family business, Emelie worked in the child development field as a preschool teacher for special needs children. In her free time, she likes to spend as much time as possible outside with her husband and three dogs.
Since the camp’s inception in 1949, R.M. Pyles Boys Camp has served more than 28,000 California boys. Each camper has heart-wrenching stories of their struggles, such as living in neighborhoods with gang violence, attending low performing schools, and being exposed to substance abuse and domestic violence. Former campers have gone on to achieve numerous successes including becoming the first college graduate in their families, serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, and returning to work at the camp as counselors.
The Camp’s work does not end once the boys leave the campground. The experience is supplemented with year-round mentoring and young men may earn scholarships for college or vocational training. Almost 500 boys and young men attend the camp annually. Program leaders have set a 2021 goal to serve more than 500 boys and provide $15,000 in scholarships.
California currently has more than 1 million acres of wildfires. To put that into perspective, the entire state of Rhode Island is 776,957 acres. These dangerous conditions would be even worse if it weren’t for the brave men and women fighting these fires.
R.M. Pyles Boys Camp is currently located right next to one such fire, the Castle Fire. This fire gets its name from a landmark with which most Pyles campers are familiar, Castle Rock. Due to our proximity, we are offering use of Pyles Camp for incident command, equipment and personnel staging, and a place for the firefighters to rest.
Pyles Camp is currently safe due to the hard work of ground and air crews from multiple agencies. We want to thank them for their efforts and ask that you join us by filling out the form below. We will be compiling all of these responses and sending to the agencies on the front lines. Please take a moment to say thank you to these hard-working men and women who are keeping R.M. Pyles Boys Camp safe!
[Thank-you’s sent on 9/16 - form has been disabled]
R.M. Pyles Boys Camp believes in a racially just society and that human rights should be equal for all. While we strive to achieve this idyllic atmosphere during our camp programs, achieving this same progress in society is more challenging. We stand in support with those of you who are working constructively to make positive changes in your communities and oppose racial injustices.
