Online: Voices of the Bay: Camille Teixeira

For Camille Teixeira, waking up on the morning of Bristol’s iconic Fourth of July Parade is akin to the excitement of Christmas Day. The Bristol native has always treasured the summer holiday and all the hoopla leading up to the parade. When her father Antonio, was selected as Chief Marshall in 2012, Teixeira witnessed firsthand the vast enormity of work done by a group of dedicated volunteers. It instilled in her a desire to roll up her sleeves and get involved. Since joining the committee in 2013, Teixeira’s responsibilities have increased from collecting donations to being subcommittee chair of the Breakfast Committee to vice chair to parade chairman, all of which helped prepare her for the two-year position of general chairman, which she was elected to in 2024. Teixeira, who holds an associate’s degree in business administration from the Community College of Rhode Island, has been with Citizens Financial Group for 15 years, the last nine as a senior cyber security analyst. She credits her hands-on experience in the planning and execution of Citizens’ Credo Week, a week-long celebration in recognition of its 3000 employees, as a springboard to taking on more responsibility as a member of the Bristol Fourth of July Committee.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY: I remember as a kid getting up and going to get a spot at the end of our road at 4:30 in the morning and helping dad set up. We all would wear our new matching Fourth of July outfits. To me, the Fourth is like Christmas.

LABOR OF LOVE: We currently have about 50 active members. We have close to 100 volunteers, but many of them are lifetime members who have served their time and are not active. To be on the committee, members are required to work on the day of the parade. I would love to be with my family, pull my chair up, watch the parade, and have a cookout after. Instead I’m up at 5:30am and I’m breaking down at 2:30pm. I’m still cleaning up the reviewing stands and making sure golf carts are back, bringing all the coolers to my garage so I can wash them and store them for the following year. There are so many details and logistics taken care of by our tireless volunteers who make creating this special day seem like magic.

PERSPECTIVE: It has definitely been a challenge from which I’ve grown. I’ve learned to let things roll off my back. My priorities are my family first. At the end of the day, I am a volunteer. I am very passionate about the celebration, about the town, and bringing the community together, seeing smiles on people’s faces. I’ve gotten many letters of appreciation, which are very touching. Some of them have brought tears
to my eyes.