Hospice of VNS' 4th Annual Camp Promise


The fourth annual Camp Promise was held June 15 – 17, 2009. The camp is for children ages 6-11 who have experienced a significant loss in their lives, such as a parent, grandparent or sibling. This year 36 children attended the camp. The children learned to manage and understand their grief through creative activities such as craft-making, music, drama, and play therapy. The camp also gave the children an opportunity to interact with others their age experiencing the same issues and learn that they aren’t alone. The children attend camp at no cost thanks to the generosity of many sponsors, including the Premier Sponsor, Westminster Presbyterian Church. Thank you to everyone who made this year’s camp possible.

Please check back in spring 2010 for details on next year’s camp.

Please visit our Grief Education and Grief Support pages for details on current bereavement support programs.

 Camp Promise

“When you play with new friends and do sandtray therapy, the sad feelings don’t bug you.”

“I learned in the sand tray that sharing my feelings took my stress away.”

-Camp Promise participant comments

What will the kids do all day?

Creative stations will be set up on site to allow the children to express and process their grief reactions through play.

The death of a loved one can be an overwhelming event for anyone. Children will learn to manage and understand their significant loss through creative play.

Who will watch over the children?

A staff of experienced bereavement professionals will oversee the children as they go through the creative stations.

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.