Camp Counselor

DAN ZENKEL '80 helps children find acceptance after the losses of 9/11.

When he graduated from Dartmouth Zenkel dreamed of running a restaurant or sports bar. Now he combines a love of good food and athletics—offering up s'mores, windsurfing and archery to more than 4,500 children as president of Camp Group, LLC, the largest private owner of children's summer camps in the country.

After an initial detour to law school and job with a small New York City firm, in April 1998 Zenkel helped his father start a company that buys and operates summer camps.

His latest venture is America's Camp, a free one-week camp in the Berkshires in Massachusetts for children ages 7 to 15 who lost a parent on September 11, 2001, or lost family on police or fire duty at any time. About 200 children enrolled last summer, more than twice as many since the camp's opening in August 2002.

Many of the kids find that being in the company of other children who lost a parent on 9/11 is comforting, says Zenkel. Their parents echo that: "Upon her return, my daughter was happy and relaxed," says one parent. "Having the opportunity to spend time with other children who have gone through the same loss as her makes her feel accepted."

In addition to grief counselors, there is one counselor—selected as the "best" from Camp Groups' seven other summer camps in New England and Michigan-per camper, and the focus is on fun: Events scheduled for this year's camp at the end of August included lots of singing and dancing, a range of sports, art and theater activities and field trips around the region.

The seeds for Zenkel's love of the camping industry may have been planted during his college years. "Dartmouth made an effort to build school spirit and camaraderie, to teach songs and cheers," he recalls. "It had an impact on me."

And still does. Especially when he crosses over the White River en route to one of his camps 40 minutes north of Hanover. "The drive into Hanover never gets old," he smiles. "I always experience an emotional surge."

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