CLEARFIELD – Clearfield Hospital Hospice recently announced plans for its fifth annual Camp Promise: Grief Camp for Children and Teens.
“The death of a loved one is hard for anyone to deal with, but it’s especially hard for children. Our mission is to let children and teens express their grief and learn that grief is not a process of forgetting, but remembering with less pain, and moving forward with memories that will keep the loved one in their hearts forever,” stated Lori Parks, grief counselor.
This year’s Camp Promise will be held June 24-27 at the VFW Picnic Grounds along Industrial Park Road in Clearfield from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. daily, and will be facilitated by Parks; Pastor Kevin Orndorff, Temple Baptist Church; hospice staff and volunteers; and Temple Baptist Church volunteers.
A memorial service for participants and their families will take place at the site from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. June 27. The picnic grounds will also be the site for family orientation, slated for June 23 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
At the camp, children and teens ages 6-18 can enjoy outdoor activities and fellowship with others who are experiencing loss and grief. The Clearfield Hospital Hospice team and Orndorff believe that all children who have lost a loved one – whether it was a parent, grandparent, sibling or close friend – can benefit from being part of a group that provides them with loving support.
There is no charge to attend; the camp is for any child/teen who has suffered a loss, not just hospice families.
The camp will provide participants with a variety of ways to express their feelings. The curriculum teaches coping, team building and communication skills. These valuable skills will better assist youth in dealing with the many sources of grief and loss that they will encounter in their lives.
The week-long camp supports children and teens through a combination of activities including arts, crafts, journaling, music, games and sports.
After completion of the camp, organizers will monitor the campers’ progress over a 13-month period through phone calls, mailings and personal contact. Parks said additional bereavement resources are available for children in need.
Bereavement services offered by Clearfield Hospital Hospice are free and open to anyone in the community.
Parks said every person involved with the grief camp has agreed to donate his or her time and noted, “We are always grateful for the community support we receive for our programs.”
To register a child, please contact Parks by phone, 814-768-2157, or by e-mail, lparks@clearfieldhosp.org prior to June 3. To make a donation to the program, please contact Dana Wilson, volunteer and event coordinator, at 814-768-2007, or dwilson@clearfieldhosp.org.
