Denise Gordon
Let me introduce myself
I'm Denise, your Camp Expert for families in Northern California.
My first bunk
I spent 10 incredible summers at day camp, overnight camp and as an assistant counselor on Long Island, NY and in Massachusetts. Camp quickly became my favorite place on earth. Camp friends are the best friends. I lived 10 months a year for those 2 months at camp in the summer!
From camper to camp expert
In my earlier career (before I had children), I was a middle school and high school Social Studies teacher. Working with children, has given me unique insight into what makes each camper thrive. It helps me match every child with the perfect camp or teen program.
Ultimate camp highlight
My all-time favorite camp activity is Color War - especially the song competition. I seriously still know all of the changed lyrics to the popular songs from my camp/color war days!
Why I love this job
I genuinely love chatting with families and getting to know them, so I am able to find the right fit for their ideal summer experiences.
My home bunk
My husband and I are empty nesters. My husband went to camp in Maine for many summers and loved it as much as I did. We have two children in graduate school. They went to overnight camp in New Hampshire for 7 summers, spent 2 summers doing community service in Peru and Ecuador, and 1 summer in Tel Aviv working internships. They absolutely LOVED their summers and the special friendships they made (the friendships have stayed true through college and now into grad school). Their summers gave them self-confidence, independence and helped them grow tremendously. These skills helped their transition to out of state college easy.
Why I feel camp is a valuable experience
Camp is such a valuable experience. Children can reinvent themselves at their home away from home each summer. At camp they will learn independence, self-confidence and make lifelong connections. These skills will set them up to be strong young adults in the future. Camp was the best gift that I could have given my children and am so thankful for it!