When you’re a child or teenager processing the death of a loved one, interacting with others experiencing similar grief can help with healing.
At Camp Healing Heart and Kourage Kids Camp, two camps sponsored by Carle Health Hospice, the healing process includes painting memory stones, writing letters, rock climbing, hayrack rides and playing sports with others.
“There is no better support than having someone who went through the same experience,” Tammy Cranston, a Camp Healing Heart volunteer, said.
Both camps are annual, one-day experiences that provide a caring environment for kids and teens, beginning at age 5, who have experienced the death of a loved one or friend. The camps are open to any children or youth, whether or not they have a connection to Carle Health.
Camp Healing Heart is 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at 4H Memorial Camp at Allerton Park, Monticello. Kourage Kids Camp is 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sept. 21 at Camp Manitoumi in Lowpoint.
The camps include fun activities. Campers also have opportunities to express their grief, fear and concerns while learning coping skills that will help them into adulthood.
“Our society often doesn’t handle grief very well, and when death happens, it can leave a particularly vulnerable population feeling alone and uncertain about how to continue to navigate life,” Elizabeth Rieke, MSW, LSW, a social worker with Carle Hospice and Home Care and Camp Healing Heart lead coordinator, said. “Grief can have a lasting detrimental impact on a person’s life, especially if it’s pushed aside.”
Grieving children often feel alone because they may not know anyone their age who has experienced death of a close family member or friend, Jill Prosser, MS, MSW, Carle Hospice Peoria Region volunteer/bereavement coordinator, said. With the support of trained grief counselors, campers at both camps may share their experiences with other children who also are dealing with loss.
“They learn tools to help them grieve in a healthy way through games, crafts and team-building activities,” Prosser said. “They begin to heal, to find hope and to smile again.”
Camper, volunteers, experience camp connections
After her husband Larry died, Cranston participated in Carle Hospice Grief Support Group and became a hospice volunteer.
For five years, she was the Camp Healing Heart photographer and videographer. “I saw smiles and tears and laughter,” she said.
On June 26, 2023, her son died, leaving behind three boys, ages 11, 9 and 3. She received permission from their mother to take the two older boys to Camp Healing Heart last year.
The 11-year-old became a leader in his group.
“They both said to me afterward, ‘Can we come back next year?’” Cranston recalled. “I saw my grandsons process grief in a healthy way.”
Yvetta King, a registered nurse with hospice, volunteered at Kourage Kids Camp in 2019 and invited her grandchildren to participate because they were processing the death of their grandfather. Among the grandchildren was Eonest (“Honest”) King of Normal.
A letter-writing activity “gave me comfort and to be OK with his passing,” Eonest, now 16, said.
In 2023, Yvetta King returned to Kourage Kids Camp as an assistant counselor. She again invited her grandchildren because another grandchild had just died at age 9. Eonest was among the campers. One activity was painting a memory stone.
“When I look at the memory stone, it reminds me of my cousin,” Eonest said.
“It’s a time to have fun,” Eonest said of camp. “It’s also a time to reflect on the good memories of your loved one and not on the painful part of their passing.”
Here’s how to register for the camps
Camp Healing Heart, which began in 2005, is free to campers thanks to generous donations to Carle Health Center for Philanthropy. For more information, click here.
A significant gift from Rick and Jeanene Stephens will fund Camp Healing Heart for five years. They donated in memory of a grand nephew, Luke Wernsman of Somonauk, who died in a car crash at age 16 in March 2023. A similar camp helped their family.
Registration deadlines are Sept. 27 for Healing Heart campers and Sept. 20 for volunteers. To register, call (800) 239-3620 or click here.
Kourage Kids Camp, which began in 2000, is free to campers thanks to generous donations to Carle Health Center for Philanthropy – Greater Peoria.
Registration deadline for Kourage Kids campers and volunteers is Sept. 13. To register, call (309) 672-5746 or email Jill.Prosser2@carle.com. For more information, click here.
At Camp Healing Heart and Kourage Kids Camp, two camps sponsored by Carle Health Hospice, the healing process includes painting memory stones, writing letters, rock climbing, hayrack rides and playing sports with others.
“There is no better support than having someone who went through the same experience,” Tammy Cranston, a Camp Healing Heart volunteer, said.
Both camps are annual, one-day experiences that provide a caring environment for kids and teens, beginning at age 5, who have experienced the death of a loved one or friend. The camps are open to any children or youth, whether or not they have a connection to Carle Health.
Camp Healing Heart is 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at 4H Memorial Camp at Allerton Park, Monticello. Kourage Kids Camp is 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sept. 21 at Camp Manitoumi in Lowpoint.
The camps include fun activities. Campers also have opportunities to express their grief, fear and concerns while learning coping skills that will help them into adulthood.
“Our society often doesn’t handle grief very well, and when death happens, it can leave a particularly vulnerable population feeling alone and uncertain about how to continue to navigate life,” Elizabeth Rieke, MSW, LSW, a social worker with Carle Hospice and Home Care and Camp Healing Heart lead coordinator, said. “Grief can have a lasting detrimental impact on a person’s life, especially if it’s pushed aside.”
Grieving children often feel alone because they may not know anyone their age who has experienced death of a close family member or friend, Jill Prosser, MS, MSW, Carle Hospice Peoria Region volunteer/bereavement coordinator, said. With the support of trained grief counselors, campers at both camps may share their experiences with other children who also are dealing with loss.
“They learn tools to help them grieve in a healthy way through games, crafts and team-building activities,” Prosser said. “They begin to heal, to find hope and to smile again.”
Camper, volunteers, experience camp connections
After her husband Larry died, Cranston participated in Carle Hospice Grief Support Group and became a hospice volunteer.
For five years, she was the Camp Healing Heart photographer and videographer. “I saw smiles and tears and laughter,” she said.
On June 26, 2023, her son died, leaving behind three boys, ages 11, 9 and 3. She received permission from their mother to take the two older boys to Camp Healing Heart last year.
The 11-year-old became a leader in his group.
“They both said to me afterward, ‘Can we come back next year?’” Cranston recalled. “I saw my grandsons process grief in a healthy way.”
Yvetta King, a registered nurse with hospice, volunteered at Kourage Kids Camp in 2019 and invited her grandchildren to participate because they were processing the death of their grandfather. Among the grandchildren was Eonest (“Honest”) King of Normal.
A letter-writing activity “gave me comfort and to be OK with his passing,” Eonest, now 16, said.
In 2023, Yvetta King returned to Kourage Kids Camp as an assistant counselor. She again invited her grandchildren because another grandchild had just died at age 9. Eonest was among the campers. One activity was painting a memory stone.
“When I look at the memory stone, it reminds me of my cousin,” Eonest said.
“It’s a time to have fun,” Eonest said of camp. “It’s also a time to reflect on the good memories of your loved one and not on the painful part of their passing.”
Here’s how to register for the camps
Camp Healing Heart, which began in 2005, is free to campers thanks to generous donations to Carle Health Center for Philanthropy. For more information, click here.
A significant gift from Rick and Jeanene Stephens will fund Camp Healing Heart for five years. They donated in memory of a grand nephew, Luke Wernsman of Somonauk, who died in a car crash at age 16 in March 2023. A similar camp helped their family.
Registration deadlines are Sept. 27 for Healing Heart campers and Sept. 20 for volunteers. To register, call (800) 239-3620 or click here.
Kourage Kids Camp, which began in 2000, is free to campers thanks to generous donations to Carle Health Center for Philanthropy – Greater Peoria.
Registration deadline for Kourage Kids campers and volunteers is Sept. 13. To register, call (309) 672-5746 or email Jill.Prosser2@carle.com. For more information, click here.
Categories: Community
Tags: camp, grief, hospice, kids, philanthropy