By starting a camp, she turned a loss into a support system for others

This article is part of our Women and Leadership special report to coincide with global events in March celebrating the achievements of women. This conversation has been edited and condensed.

Lynne Hughes, 59, a native of the Detroit area, lost both of her parents by the time she was 12 years old. When she was nine, her mother died of a blood clot, followed three years later by her father when he suffered a heart attack. Without any grieving resources for children to turn to for support, Ms. Hughes, who now lives in Richmond, Virginia, said she has dealt with her loss largely alone.

After a series of jobs after graduating from Michigan State University with a communications degree, including work at a hospice, she saw her own story as the impetus to start a bereavement camp for children. Comfort zone camp (CZC). CZC has been around for 25 years and is a free three-day camp for children and young adults from 7 to 25 years old. It is offered in 12 locations across the United States, including Virginia, New Jersey and California, and is held year-round at locations such as YMCA camps. Since its founding, CZC has helped more than 24,000 children.

How did the loss of your parents inspire Comfort Zone Camp?

After my parents died, my three siblings and I lived with my stepmother for four years, who made it very clear that she did not want to raise us. Then we went to live with an aunt and uncle, and my uncle’s first words to me were, “I will never love you as a father or an uncle, and you shouldn’t expect me to either.”

It was difficult and lonely. Right after my mother died, I went to a two-week summer camp and loved it. This allowed me to be a kid again, even temporarily, and in college I worked as a camp counselor and continued my love. As I got older, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to combine my love of camp with helping grieving children?”