Camp Daggett breaks ground near Petoskey on a Welcome Center and Adventure Center addition as its $5 million centennial campaign builds for the next 100 years

PETOSKEY, Mich. — Camp Daggett, the century-old youth camp on Walloon Lake, has started construction on a new Welcome Center and a bigger Adventure Center, the first buildings in a $5 million campaign meant to carry the camp into its second hundred years.

The camp held a groundbreaking on Oct. 14 for the Adventure Center expansion and the new Welcome Center, the Harbor Light News reported. Petoskey contractor Burdco said its work covers an addition to and renovation of the existing Adventure Center, an updated Welcome Center with new gathering and support space, and site and concrete foundation work for a new outdoor pavilion.

What the money is for. The camp’s centennial plan totals $5 million, according to Camp Daggett: $3.1 million for facility improvements and repairs, $1 million for a camper scholarship fund, and $900,000 for its land, property management and sustainability. The camp says many buildings on its 135-acre campus “are showing their age,” and that upgrades to cabins, lodges, dining space and program areas will improve safety, accessibility and comfort while adding room, especially for day camp and its Adventure Education programs.

On the land side, the camp lists erosion control, stormwater management and invasive species removal along its forests, wetlands, trails and Walloon Lake shoreline.

Keeping it affordable. Camp Daggett says the true cost of a week at camp is higher than tuition and that donors cover the gap for hundreds of local children a year, with a goal of keeping camp within reach for families in Charlevoix and Emmet counties. The scholarship fund is the campaign’s second-largest piece.

A century of “The Other Fellow First.” The camp was established in 1925 on the shores of Walloon Lake, Burdco noted, and is known for its mission and “The Other Fellow First” philosophy. Its mailing address is 03001 Church Road, Petoskey. The camp’s Golf Benefit, held for the 22nd time this year, raised money for the same centennial goals, according to the camp.

Why it matters. The campaign leans on donors to keep a local institution going for local kids. The camp says the new space will add room for day camp and Adventure Education programs, which serve children beyond the traditional overnight sessions.

The camp has not posted a completion date or the cost of the first phase alone. Questions about the campaign go to Julie Joles at julie.joles@campdaggett.org, or call the camp at 231-347-9742.

For more from the Little Traverse Bay area, see our Petoskey page.

Sources:
Camp Daggett, “Capital Campaign” (campus size, upgrades, affordability, landscape, contact, address), https://www.campdaggett.org/capital-campaign
Camp Daggett, “2026 Golf Benefit” (22nd annual benefit; centennial campaign total and breakdown), https://www.campdaggett.org/2026-golf-benefit
Burdco Inc., “We are building for the next generation at Camp Daggett!” (scope of work; 1925 founding; motto), October 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/burdco-inc_northernmichigan-petoskey-construction-activity-7513980458519650305-K0Ep
Harbor Light News, “Camp Daggett breaks ground on Centennial Campaign construction project,” Oct. 21, 2026 (Oct. 14 groundbreaking), https://www.harborlightnews.com/articles/camp-daggett-breaks-ground-on-centennial-campaign-construction-project/
Photo: Notorious4life, “Walloon Lake, Michigan (July 2019).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walloon_Lake,_Michigan_(July_2019).jpg

Petoskey

Tags: Petoskey · Camp Daggett · Walloon Lake · Youth · Nonprofits · Emmet County