Hospice Plans for Bereavement Camp

Holzer Hospice is planning for its Fifth Annual Camp Beaver, which is a bereavement camp for children who have suffered a loss. The two-day camp will be held on Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th at the Ohio Valley Christian Assembly Camp, 39560 Rocksprings Road, Pomeroy, Ohio. The camp provides an environment where children, ages 6 to 17, are able to come together with other individuals who have experienced a loss in their life. It gives them a place where they are free to let their feelings out, in a way that they want to. The fun activities that are held during the camp generates thoughts and enhances discussion about what they are feeling in a very non-threatening pattern.

One of the things about grieving is finding new meaning in life without your loved one. A camp of this nature has been very beneficial to the children in our community. Shown pictured are several Holzer staff members who are a part of the planning committee for the camp, from left to right: Cinda Saunders, LSW, MSW, Sharon Shull, RN, MSN, Angie Norville, Chaplain Fred Williams, and Connie Gibeaut, LSW.

Camp Beaver was established through a loss that Shull experienced and observed her granddaughter grieving through that tragic loss. “It only made sense to see the need that we could provide locally to our children and have Hospice sponsor it,” she commented. The camp is provided at no cost to the participants and is fully funded through grant dollars and generous contributions from our local business and community members.

Volunteers who help facilitate the camp and the activities/supervision include registered nurses, social workers, chaplains, counselors and adult/teen volunteers. According to national statistics, childhood bereavement is far more common than many realize. One in nine children lose a parent, friend, sibling or pet before the age of 20. The loss can also be through divorce or other circumstances.

For more information about the camp and how to apply for a child to attend, please call Hospice at 740-446-5074 or 1-800-500-4850. If anyone would like for a representative to come and speak to their organization about the camp, contact us to arrange a time.