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Hospice of VNS' 5th Annual Camp Promise

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40 children attended Hospice of Visiting Nurse Service's (VNS) fifth annual Camp Promise June 14-16, 2010. Camp Promise is a free day camp for children ages 6-11 who have experienced a significant loss in their lives, such as a parent, grandparent or sibling. The children learned to manage and understand their grief through creative activities such as music, drama, art and play therapy. The camp also gave the children an opportunity to interact with others their age who are experiencing loss and to learn that they are not alone.

A total of 19 teens and 22 adults volunteered their time to make the camp run smoothly.  Due to rainy conditions, the camp which is typically held in a tent on the grounds of the Justin T. Rogers Hospice Care Center had to move indoors to Copley United Methodist Church located nearby on Cleveland-Massillon Road.

The children attend camp at no cost thanks to the generosity of many sponsors, including the Premier Sponsor, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Akron (WPC). WPC has been the Premiere Sponsor of Camp Promise since its inception. They have raised approximately $86,000 for the camp over six years through their annual WPC Invitational Golf Outing. Hospice of Visiting Nurse Service thanks WPC and all of the sponsors, volunteers, staff and Copley United Methodist Church for making this year's camp available for the children.

Please check back in spring 2011 for details on next year's camp. Visit our Grief Education  and Grief Support  pages for details on current bereavement support programs.

 

Guidelines for Helping Children who Grieve

Oftentimes, we hesitate to talk about death especially with young children or adolescents; but, without the courage to talk openly and freely, we greatly limit our ability to help.

• Parents, communicate to your children that they can openly express the feelings they have when a loved one dies.
• Parents, remember children communicate their thoughts and feelings according to their particular stage of development.
• Children also process their grief in “bite size” pieces over time. They may mourn the death of a parent, grandparent, or someone the child was close to, on and off for several years.