Camp Fire Alaska | Light the Fire Within

Tharren Polche

Executive Assistant

 

Tharren, a longstanding community advocate, served communities in Virginia, Florida, and Georgia. She now serves the communities of Alaska, which are her favorite. A Human Service graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage, she was once employed at a Georgia youth residential treatment facility through AmeriCorps. This experience sparked an interest in supporting individuals with developmental and learning disabilities. Her professional development continued with a position at the University of South Florida, which diversified her skillset to include event planning and training in the world of Pharmacy.

Her professional journey with Camp Fire Alaska began over 14 years ago, and in June of 2024, she became Executive Assistant. This role allows her to enact positive change on Alaskan communities, and she is excited to make her mark!

In her free time, she makes memories with her family, and enjoys crafting, reading, and photography. Her life philosophy is best summarized by this quote by the Dalai Lama: “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

The Camp Fire Alaska main office operates on the ancestral land of the Dena’ina people. Camp Fire Alaska runs programing on the lands of the Athabascan, Yup’ik, Chup’ik, Sougpiaq, and Inupiaq peoples. We value and thank them for their current and historic commitment to and protection of this land. We pledge to assist, in partnership, in the environmental stewardship of these lands. We strive to learn more about the history of the Native peoples of Alaska and the historic trauma they have suffered. We commit to being an active ally through activities, actions, and organizational decisions and practices. We understand that this is a dynamic process through which our Land Acknowledgement practices, and statement will evolve as we receive feedback from tribal partners and acquire a deeper understanding of and from the Native peoples of Alaska..  (v2)