Camp for grieving children planned
For the fourth consecutive year, Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice is sponsoring a free weekend camp for grieving children called Camp Shining Star. This unique bereavement program is offered to children, ages 6 to 12, who reside in Fayette, Greene, Washington, Westmoreland, Allegheny and Butler counties and who have experienced the death of someone they love.
Camp Shining Star, offered at no cost to the children or their families, will this year take place the weekend of June 6-8 at Jumonville United Methodist Camp in Uniontown. Camp Shining Star is totally staffed and coordinated through volunteer efforts, and is entirely funded by donations.
Last year, 19 children attended and were helped by Camp Shining Star, which is the maximum number of children the bereavement camp can accommodate. This limitation ensures that each child is given the individualized attention that is needed to assist the children through the grief process.
Marilyn Cartwright, bereavement coordinator for Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice, who serves as the camp’s director, said that each child at the camp is paired with an adult volunteer, a big buddy with whom they will spend the weekend. Each big buddy must participate in several training sessions in order to work with the children.
Cartwright said campers not only learn to understand the myriad of feelings that accompany losing someone close to them, they also enjoy a weekend of supervised camp activities designed to help children cope with a recent death.
These camp activities include team games, arts and crafts, hiking, sing-a-longs, karaoke and campfires. The children enjoy sleeping in cabins and eating nutritious meals and snacks, with time to enjoy new friends who have also experienced a death.
“Camp Shining Star is designed to gently teach coping skills and help build self-esteem and trust, while offering a safe, comfortable environment for children to share their grief,’ Cartwright said.
Cartwright said campers use workbooks throughout the weekend to draw pictures and write stories about their own personal experiences. All of the activities offered provide many opportunities for the children to express themselves and develop bonds with others.
“As adults, we strive so hard to protect our children. We don’t want to see them hurting. And when death does occur, we think it is better to shield our children from the sadness and grief by not speaking about the death. Actually just the opposite is true,” Cartwright said. “By talking about death, and giving children appropriate outlets for their feelings, we can alleviate many of their fears and help them find comfort and new meaning.
Cartwright emphasizes that Camp Shining Star is made possible through the support of many dedicated volunteers, in addition to Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice staff. Volunteers are needed as big buddies for the campers, or as support staff to assist with many camp activities.
For further information, to request an application or to volunteer, contact Cartwright at 724-438-6660, or phone toll-free at 1-800-245-4144 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.