Recess Roundtable: Lauren Zima on Bringing Life-Changing Grief Support to Texas Kids

This is the inaugural post in our new “Recess Roundtable” series, where we sit down with experts in children’s wellness, development, and activities to share insights that help Austin families thrive.

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When four-time Emmy-winning television host Lauren Zima could lend her voice to any cause, she chose one that doesn’t often make headlines: supporting grieving children. As an ambassador for Experience Camps and current board member, Lauren is working to bring something unprecedented to Texas – the state’s first-ever Experience Camps location, launching summer 2025.

Experience Camps is an award-winning national nonprofit that transforms the lives of grieving children through no-cost summer camp programs and year-round support initiatives. Through compassion, connection, and play, they allow grieving children to embody a life full of hope and possibility, serving kids who have lost parents, siblings, or other significant family members.

The statistics are staggering: in Texas alone, 1 in 12 children will lose a parent or sibling before they turn 18. Yet until now, Texas families have been on waiting lists, hoping for a spot at camps in other states. That’s about to change.

We sat down with Lauren to talk about her personal journey with grief, what makes Experience Camps so transformative, and why bringing this program to Texas means everything to her.

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You’re a four-time Emmy winner who could lend your voice to many causes. What made you choose grief support, and what about Experience Camps’ mission personally resonated with you?

That’s very kind. I wish my dad had been here to see the Emmys! He died suddenly while I was in college, and life was shattered for myself, my mom, and my two younger siblings. Years later, I had grown in my grief and would sometimes post about my takeaways on grief, and someone who followed me worked for Experience Camps, DM’d me and suggested I check them out. That DM changed my life! In my first year volunteering as a camp counselor, I saw the incredible, transformative power of this organization. I’ve now volunteered for three summers, have joined the national board, and am working to get a new location open in Texas to serve our grieving kids and families here. It’s the great honor of my life to support these kids.

After losing your father in 2010, how did your personal grief journey shape your understanding of what children experiencing loss need most?

I experienced for myself that our culture struggles with grief. We’re uncomfortable with it. We learn where babies come from in school, but not how to deal with death — and grief is the one universal experience. We won’t all get married, we won’t all have kids, but unfortunately, we will all lose someone we love. Yet, we struggle with how to support even our closest friends when they go through it. The biggest thing, I think, is taking the tension out of the conversation. At Experience Camps, kids are around other children who get what they’re going through, when at school they’re usually the only one in their class who has experienced loss. The counselors have also been through loss, so kids look up to them and find hope: they know they’ll be OK. Kids need a sense of safety, love, and support: the loss of a family member takes that away. We work to give it back to them, and to help them find joy and resilience.

Experience Camps is now bringing its no-cost summer camps to Texas. What does a week at camp actually look like – and how is it different from the summer camps many of us know?

Our philosophy is “playing through grief.” We let kids be kids again at camp: they do all the summer camp favorites like sports, talent shows, tug of war. We want them to feel relief and the joy of childhood again after loss has often made them have to grow up too fast. Then every day, our campers get one hour of group grief counseling. Our campfires still have s’mores, but they are a place where kids can talk openly about their person who died. It’s a great emotional release.

You went from counselor to board member. What moments at camp have surprised or moved you the most while working directly with grieving children?

I’ve seen a child who started the week at camp and didn’t speak at all. But the other kids still included her every day, and by week’s end, she was talking about her dad who had died. I was in awe of how the other kids included her; they had such empathy at such a young age. And I was in awe of the growth she had in her grief while at camp. Loss at a young age makes children more likely to face depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation. But Experience Camps gives them the right intervention, and we see them become the most empathetic, mature, incredible kids.

As Experience Camps expands into Texas, what excites you most – and what unique needs are you seeing among grieving families here?

Experience Camps had been wanting to open in Texas for years; they’ve had a waitlist of kids wanting to get into the programs for years. In our state, 1 in 12 children will lose a parent or sibling before they turn 18. It’s staggering. So, I’m thrilled that we can get help to those kids who are waiting. And, the horrific, tragic events of recent years have driven home for me more than ever that we need long-term grief support here.

Beyond summer camp, you’ve launched digital platforms like GRIEF SUCKS for teens and Grief Quest on Roblox. How are these helping kids carry the healing tools they learn at camp into their everyday lives?

We want to be a grief resource throughout the year for our campers and families. We also do in-person meetups outside of camp for kids and families to connect. We do weekend retreat family programs that grieving parents can attend with their kids, and we do grief retreats for adults. We find that our in-person programs give people a deep dose of healing that they take with them throughout the year, but we also want to be there for them if they need a pick-me-up and connection outside of camp. And, our online resources are a tool for all, whether you’ve been to camp or not.

The upcoming Austin gala is helping bring Experience Camps to Texas. What does success look like for you in establishing this program here, and how can Austin families be part of making that vision real?

My goal is to get a healthy amount of money raised to support this location for years to come. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to cure grief, so we need the long-term support of the community. Please get involved, sponsor, donate, volunteer. If you know a grieving family, tell them about us. Our camps are free, because we know families that are grieving are often suffering financially as well, and they’ve already lost so much. And kids are welcomed back year after year, because we know grief is always with them, always changing. Investing in our youth is investing in our future.

Looking ahead, what do you hope the future holds for grief education and support in our schools and communities? And what does it take to truly build a more “grief-sensitive culture”?

We need to destigmatize the conversation around grief. I see it even as an adult; if you bring up death, people get uncomfortable. I know that’s often because they are trying to be sensitive, and don’t feel they know the right thing to say. And the truth is, there’s no perfect thing to say—but, we can grow awareness of what some of the OK things to say are. And I always emphasize this: it’s better to ask. I’ve never had someone who was grieving be upset with me because I asked about their person. Ultimately, grief is about human connection. We want to feel that from each other.

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How You Can Support Experience Camps Texas

Lauren’s work is creating something transformative for Texas families, but it takes a community to make it happen. Here’s how you can be part of this historic launch:

Immediate Ways to Help:

• Make a donation to support the Texas location launch


• Share this post with friends and family who might want to get involved


• Sign up for updates about volunteer opportunities and camp applications

For Families Who Might Need Support: If you know a child who has experienced the loss of a parent, sibling, or significant family member, Experience Camps provides completely free programming. The camps are designed for children entering grades 4-12, and kids can return year after year as they continue their grief journey.

Learn More: Visit experiencecamps.org to discover the full scope of their programs, read stories from families they’ve helped, and understand the profound impact they’re making nationwide.

As Lauren reminds us, grief is universal, but so is our capacity for connection and healing. By supporting Experience Camps’ expansion into Texas, we’re not just funding a camp – we’re creating a lifeline for children and families during their most difficult moments.

At Recess, we believe every child deserves access to activities and experiences that help them thrive. Supporting organizations like Experience Camps is part of our commitment to serving the whole child and the whole family.

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