Meet the Founder

Founder of Summer Camp Project. A young woman standing on a grassy field during sunset, wearing a black cap backwards, a gray jacket, white sneakers, maroon socks, denim shorts, sunglasses hanging from her shirt collar, smiling, looking to the side.
Founder of Summer Camp Project. A young woman standing on a grassy field during sunset, wearing a black cap backwards, a gray jacket, white sneakers, maroon socks, denim shorts, sunglasses hanging from her shirt collar, smiling, looking to the side.

Hue Dao

Founder

Hue Dao still recalls a moment that changed her life. It was the summer of 2001, and Hue, on scholarship paired with funds from youth group car washes, was at summer camp on the Brazos River in Cleburne, Texas climbing a high ropes course for the first time. She had been recently adopted by Brian and Tammy Miner of Arlington, TX, and was still adjusting to the living arrangement that included her and four younger brothers.

Hue, thirteen years old at the time, was looking down from the high platform, calculating the tingle feeling and fall risk factor. Though uneasy, she remembered feeling lucky to be there. She got to do something that made her body experience fear, and it wasn’t hunger or being houseless.

“ It was something completely different—

the feeling of chosen thrill. ”

Fast forward to 2026, Hue entered an exciting phase as the Founder of The Summer Camp Project (SCP). She is deeply committed to paving a path to a thriving future for diverse young people like her.

A woman sitting on a large rock at a high elevation, looking towards a mountain landscape with a prominent, rounded granite formation illuminated by the sunset.

Her vision:

“ Every child deserves to safely explore

outside the home and classroom, 

and finances would not be a barrier to that. ”

The Summer Camp Project champions youth development by providing accessible summer camp experiences to children from under-resourced families. Her goal is to maintain a simple lean model, while collaborating with community partners and share resources.

A smiling man and woman taking a selfie outdoors at sunset near a body of water, with mountains in the background and daisies in the foreground.

Hue attended the University of North Texas, where she studied Biology and Public Relations at the Mayborn School of Journalism, with the goal to become a doctor. Over time she found other pathways to heal across 20 years of hospitality and nonprofit experience, as the Director of Community Outreach at ATG Against The Grain Productions, then as Relationship Development Officer at Treehouse.

In 2020 she headed west on a road trip to explore the national parks of the U.S. with her furry friend, Umami, a corgi-pitbull, and has been calling the Pacific Northwest home ever since.

Seattle is where she met her partner, Josh Lewandowski. Their first date was a walk in Seward Park just after the New Year in 2021, followed by takeout pho from Phở Bắc on Rainier. They’ve been married since 2024 and have had many adventures trekking the world, and traveling in their van, Just Twilight, the Tardis.

Sunset view of the Grand Canyon with layered red rock formations, a river visible in the distance, and sparse vegetation on the rocky cliffs.
Hiker walking through a lush, green mountain meadow with wildflowers at sunset, mountainous landscape in the background and pine trees surrounding the area.
A large group of people posing together outdoors at night, with a tree and string lights in the background, smiling for the camera.

Born at a refugee camp in Bataan, Philippines to Vietnamese ‘boat people’ and raised as a first generation immigrant in Texas. As the eldest of 8, Hue grew up in service-oriented families, with many military family members. Her biological parents are hardworking Vietnamese immigrants, and her adopted parents are entrepreneurial and regularly hosted gatherings in their home.

In memory of Hue’s grandfather, Ron Miner, who was a Nazarene clergyman. She met him and grandmother Jackie for the first time coming off the church bus at that summer camp.