They're no longer involved in its day-to-day operations or planning. But the founders of Camp $tart-Up, a summer camp for young girls interested in business careers, still feel a deep connection to their project.

So much so that Johnson School Park Leadership Fellows Cory Christensen, Beth Watson and Erin Edwards began last year to jointly fund a scholarship for one camper every year.

"We wanted a different way to make sure we still feel connected to the camp," said Christensen, who works in human resources at Honeywell.

The 2002 Johnson School graduates founded Camp $tart-Up as their public service-leadership project during the second year of their MBAs. The projects can range from for-profit consulting to conceiving an entirely new project, such as the camp.

And since that inception, the camp has switched organization and leadership every year to allow it to continue every summer. That was one of the founders' goals: to make the camp model sustainable.

"We tried to ensure there would be a selection process for the next year's organizers," Christensen explained. "That was really one of the most critical components."

The weeklong summer camp is for girls ages 13-19 who have an interest in business careers. Through activities, presentations and guest speakers, the campers are given an introduction to basic concepts in the business world and, hopefully, inspiration to explore such careers further.

Kate Tansey, a Johnson School student who is serving as this year's project chair for Camp $tart-Up, said she heard about the program before becoming a student and thought it was a unique element that set the Johnson School apart.

"I thought it would be an incredible leadership opportunity, both personally and professionally," Tansey said.

Because the camp is housed in the Johnson School's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, a dedicated camp director is available each year to help the students plan the coming summer's camp. The structure that the original founders left behind remains today, but with an increased interest from funding sources and sponsors, Tansey explained.

Looking back, Watson said she feels starting the camp "from scratch" and learning from other Park fellows along the way was an invaluable experience.

"The theory from class studies only takes you so far, but getting out and applying it was the most valuable part of the program for me," Watson said.