MEET AYF BOARD CHAIR
DD Danfor by Catherine Klene
The American Youth Foundation has played a pivotal role in DD Danforth-Burlin’s life. The four-fold way of living has steered her through her youth as a Miniwanca camper and leader, a National Leadership Conference participant, a successful lawyer and activist, a Merrowvista camper parent, and a 25-year member of the AYF board of directors. Today, that same foundational philosophy guides her as chair of the board, a role she assumed in August. Here, Danforth-Burlin shares fond Miniwanca and Merrowvista memories, her thoughts on this generation of campers, and her hopes for the future of the AYF.
What do you remember about your first camp experience? “My very first year at Miniwanca, I sent a letter to my parents in which I said, ‘I love camp. This is so much fun. I’m a member of the Draws tribe. We have a cheer that goes like this.’ And I wrote out the entirety of this nonsense cheer, and it was complete gibberish to them! Then I wrote, ‘And we have a camp clap, and it goes like this: clap, clap, clap, clap…’ Everything was so meaningful to me as a 9-year-old, and I wanted them to feel my joy in that letter.” What was your favorite tradition as a camper? “I loved Night’s Doings. I have a very funny memory of the camperleader hunt. At the time, campers hid from leaders. My friends and I had a well-hidden place in the woods, completely covered in leaves. We were totally invisible, and no one found us. And then we spent the next week going to the health center dealing with chiggers, mosquitos, poison ivy... It was worth the price though – we won!”
What is one of your favorite memories as a camper parent? “Nearly every year, I went to the Closing Circle at Merrowvista, and I watched my boys start as the youngest campers and rise through the age groups. Every year, we’d watch the oldest kids pass a candle flame from kid to kid as they’d sing Follow the Gleam. They’ve gone through their whole program, and now they’re passing their torch to the campers below them. It’s a moment of such pride and gratitude – it makes you a complete mess when you watch your kids pass that flame.” How has your legal career benefited you in the nonprofit space? “When you’ve been through law school, the way you think about problems changes. It’s very process- and logic-oriented. I will always be a lawyer. I can retire but I will always have legal thinking as the way I address a problem.” 2
