Camp Healing Hearts is a program for youth provided by The Hospice Grief Center. Camp Healing Hearts provides creative healing activities and an opportunity to connect with other children who have experienced a loss. Campers include children related to Hospice patients that have died, as well as any child in our community that has experienced the death of someone they cared about. Some children have experienced loss related to illness, while other children have experienced traumatic losses. We also understand that as a child develops they may start to process past losses differently, and Camp may be a way to help them with this.
Camp Healing Hearts is usually held as a day camp for four days in August. Children entering grades one through six who have experienced the death of a loved one and/or special person are who usually attend. Our Camp Healing Hearts program has been operational for over 18 years.
Due to COVID-19, Camp was held virtually in 2020 and we will be holding it virtually again this year for children ages 5-12. If your child is over 12 and is interested in Camp, please call (315) 634-2208. Camp Healing Hearts is funded by grants and community support allowing us to provide our day camp program for a small registration fee ($35 per child, $60 maximum per family). Since Camp will be held virtually, the fee will be waived again this year.
Our virtual Camp will be held throughout the month of August with a different theme each week. Each week connects to the themes we typically have each day at Camp: Telling Your Story, Feelings and Coping, Commemorating and Remembering, and ending with Hope and Moving Onward. Our virtual Camp offers different ways to learn about grief and to work through it by engaging in activities to help this process. There will be opportunities for children to meet virtually for certain activities with others around their age so they can know they are not alone in their grief. A unique aspect to the virtual Camp is it offers a chance for family or other trusted elders to be involved with the campers by discussing their grief together through engaging activities. Feedback from last year’s virtual Camp showed that this unique aspect was very helpful to both campers and their families.
Registration is now Open! If you know a child that would benefit from our program, please complete a registration form TODAY. Registration forms are available on our website at https://www.hospicecny.org/camp-healing-hearts/ or call the Hospice Grief Center at 315-634-2208.