Eliza Rice, 16, has learned it’s OK to grieve and you don’t have to do it alone.
She learned that at Camp Healing Heart, a Carle Health camp supported by Carle Hospice, for children ages 5 to 17 who have experienced the death of a loved one.
“I’ve learned that I’m not alone in my grief. There are other people going through similar experiences,” Rice, of Homer, said. “Camp brings everyone together and talking about it helps.”
Rice spoke at Camp Healing Heart on Oct. 3 at 4-H Memorial Camp near Monticello. She was among 45 campers at the annual one-day camp.
Camp Healing Heart began in 2005, providing a safe and caring environment for children and teens to express their grief, emotions, fears and concerns and learn coping skills to help them as adults. The day includes therapeutic sessions, facilitated by specially trained Carle Health practitioners, interspersed with fun activities such as rock climbing, a hayrack ride and arts and crafts.
A similar Carle Hospice camp, Kourage Kids Camp, was Sept. 26 at Camp Manitoumi near Lowpoint.
Both camps are free to campers, thanks to generous donations to Carle Health Center for Philanthropy. For more information, visit carle.org/giving.
Camp Healing Heart camper learns how grief affects her and others
Eliza’s grandmother died in 2024. “The nice ladies in hospice told me and my sister (Chloe Shanks, 12, of Homer) about this camp,” Eliza said. Oct. 3 marked their third year at camp.
“Camp helps me to understand the value of grief,” Eliza said. “You learn how grief affects you and the people around you. I’ve learned that other people feel the same way I do.”
When Eliza misses her grandmother, she listens to music that her grandmother liked, looks at old photos and talks about her.
Among 100 volunteers at Camp Healing Heart was Samita “Sam” Periyanayaham, 21, a University of Illinois student, who was Eliza’s “buddy.”
“Being a buddy means you spend the day with the camper. You are there for them,” Periyanayaham said.
This is Periyanayaham’s third year volunteering at camp. “It’s fulfilling. It’s expanding my knowledge about grief and about people and their close relationships with others.”
Kourage Kids Camp counselor connects with camper
Kourage Kids Camp, which began 27 years ago, includes therapeutic sessions with activities such as basketball, soccer, a scavenger hunt, support dogs, crafts, garden memory stones, calming jars and grief bracelets.
“The day was filled with hope, healing and connection,” Mark Schuler, volunteer and bereavement coordinator at Carle Hospice Greater Peoria, said.
“Campers took part in crafts and activities designed to help them process grief in age- appropriate, hands-on ways, from calming jars to grief bracelets to lantern-making,” Schuler said. “In small-group discussions led by trained group leaders, kids had a safe space to share their stories, be heard and learn coping tools they can carry with them long after camp ends. This camp gave kids a day to feel seen, known, loved and supported as they remembered their loved ones and to simply have fun being kids.”
Schuler said one volunteer found the stones activity to be the most meaningful as each stone gave campers an opportunity to talk about their loved ones and their feelings.
“It was especially meaningful watching one of our counselors, who had attended Kourage Kids herself after losing her mom, connect with one of our campers who also lost her mom,” Schuler said.
Learn more about how Carle Health serves the community with expert care and support at carle.org/services/hospice.
She learned that at Camp Healing Heart, a Carle Health camp supported by Carle Hospice, for children ages 5 to 17 who have experienced the death of a loved one.
“I’ve learned that I’m not alone in my grief. There are other people going through similar experiences,” Rice, of Homer, said. “Camp brings everyone together and talking about it helps.”
Rice spoke at Camp Healing Heart on Oct. 3 at 4-H Memorial Camp near Monticello. She was among 45 campers at the annual one-day camp.
Camp Healing Heart began in 2005, providing a safe and caring environment for children and teens to express their grief, emotions, fears and concerns and learn coping skills to help them as adults. The day includes therapeutic sessions, facilitated by specially trained Carle Health practitioners, interspersed with fun activities such as rock climbing, a hayrack ride and arts and crafts.
A similar Carle Hospice camp, Kourage Kids Camp, was Sept. 26 at Camp Manitoumi near Lowpoint.
Both camps are free to campers, thanks to generous donations to Carle Health Center for Philanthropy. For more information, visit carle.org/giving.
Camp Healing Heart camper learns how grief affects her and others
Eliza’s grandmother died in 2024. “The nice ladies in hospice told me and my sister (Chloe Shanks, 12, of Homer) about this camp,” Eliza said. Oct. 3 marked their third year at camp.
“Camp helps me to understand the value of grief,” Eliza said. “You learn how grief affects you and the people around you. I’ve learned that other people feel the same way I do.”
When Eliza misses her grandmother, she listens to music that her grandmother liked, looks at old photos and talks about her.
Among 100 volunteers at Camp Healing Heart was Samita “Sam” Periyanayaham, 21, a University of Illinois student, who was Eliza’s “buddy.”
“Being a buddy means you spend the day with the camper. You are there for them,” Periyanayaham said.
This is Periyanayaham’s third year volunteering at camp. “It’s fulfilling. It’s expanding my knowledge about grief and about people and their close relationships with others.”
Kourage Kids Camp counselor connects with camper
Kourage Kids Camp, which began 27 years ago, includes therapeutic sessions with activities such as basketball, soccer, a scavenger hunt, support dogs, crafts, garden memory stones, calming jars and grief bracelets.
“The day was filled with hope, healing and connection,” Mark Schuler, volunteer and bereavement coordinator at Carle Hospice Greater Peoria, said.
“Campers took part in crafts and activities designed to help them process grief in age- appropriate, hands-on ways, from calming jars to grief bracelets to lantern-making,” Schuler said. “In small-group discussions led by trained group leaders, kids had a safe space to share their stories, be heard and learn coping tools they can carry with them long after camp ends. This camp gave kids a day to feel seen, known, loved and supported as they remembered their loved ones and to simply have fun being kids.”
Schuler said one volunteer found the stones activity to be the most meaningful as each stone gave campers an opportunity to talk about their loved ones and their feelings.
“It was especially meaningful watching one of our counselors, who had attended Kourage Kids herself after losing her mom, connect with one of our campers who also lost her mom,” Schuler said.
Learn more about how Carle Health serves the community with expert care and support at carle.org/services/hospice.
Categories: Community
Tags: camp, grief, healing, heart, hospice, kids, Kourage, philanthropy