BRUCE TOTH: Counselor of the Year for 2007
Ever since Bruce was a child, he loved camping, fishing, and bow and arrow hunting. He was a perfect fit to eventually become a counselor at The Arthur C. Luf Children's Burn Camp.

Working at the camp with the kids and showing them how to shoot archery is a very rewarding feeling for Bruce's heart and soul. He started the archery course at the camp in Union when it first moved there.

An electrician for 33 years ever since he served in the Air Force back in 1974, Bruce did the majority of electrical work on the Burn Camp lean-tos, cabins, and the beach house.

When the Burn Camp first started, back in 1991 at the YMCA Camp High Rock, his old friend, Michael Meade, who volunteered there asked him to wire up the old Bear Rock Lodge. This place was in the woods and Bruce loved going there to get out of the city. After that, he went to the Camp for all the work parties. Five years later, in 1996, he joined the Bridgeport Fire Department and became a counselor for the Children's Burn Camp. He continued to do the bulk of the electrical work and also helped build some of the bridges, repair the dam, clear the trails and kept the coyotes, moose, and bears out of the Camp while it was in session. For a couple years, he fed the fish in the lake to fatten them up.

Bruce was named the Counselor of the Year in 2007 for his 15 years of dedication and outstanding work with the children at the archery range and around the camp.

Bruce has two wonderful children, a daughter Natalie and a son, Bruce Jr. who are in their 20s. He has served as a firefighter for the City of Bridgeport for 11 years and lived in Bridgeport most of his life.

When he retires, Bruce said he'll be headed to the woods.

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