Today, I am overjoyed with LOVE. Today, I am overjoyed with Happiness, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed with sadness. I am an adult and with my life experiences and the support of my friends and family, I have learned to cope with the loss of my mother… sometimes.
Where do our children go when they are overwhelmed with sadness from the loss of a loved one? Where do they feel safe? Who gives them support… where do they go to be heard and not “parented”, and to be surrounded by kids their own age? I would say: Camp Erin – LA: a service of OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center.
Camp Erin – LA is a free bereavement camp for children and teens ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of someone close. The weekend is provided free of charge to camp participants and a majority of children served are from underserved communities and have never been to a camp of any kind.
This past weekend, Saturday, June 24, 2017, I was invited to see firsthand the incredible bereavement support that OUR HOUSE provides for our youth in need. Indeed, I saw firsthand… 78 youth from 6 to 17 years of age being healed.
When I first arrived, I was greeted the Executive Director, Michele Prince, the Director of Development, Jessica Krell and other staff counselors. They were full of smiles, greeted me and others arriving with open arms… kind of like an old friend. Soon Jessica whisked a group of us away from Michele to take a view of the camp while explaining what the camp was all about, the activities that the youth will and have already participated in and how the lives of these youth will be transformed. Amen!
Jessica filled our heads with hope for our children that have experienced loss. In this post, I cannot cover every detail in which Jessica spoke nor what I saw, but here are some things that stood out for me.
- For every activity where the youth talked about their loss, the follow up activity was one that was happy.
- Since many of the children are underserved, some may not have a sleeping bag, but Camp Erin- LA will provide. Some may not have tennis shoes, but Camp Erin- LA will provide. If Camp Erin- LA can help create a better experience for the youth, they will try their best to provide the needed item for the child.
- Lots of counselors… friendly, helpful and compassionate.
- Lots of activities – rock hunt (special words written on rocks), camp fire singing, tye-dying t-shirts, climbing rock walls, drawing, writing, running, coloring on the ground with chalk, etc.
- Spaghetti and meatball dinner with the youth and counselors, while listening to camp songs/chants created by each respective (age and gender) group.
Camp Erin-LA counselor practicing a song he wrote for the Illumination Ceremony that evening. - and the most memorable for me: the Luminary Ceremony – where each youth placed a self designed/created floating latern in the pool at dusk dark, after telling all of us their name, age, whom they lost, and how they lost them. To say the least, the ceremony was very touching – lots of tears – children and adults alike.
Again, I cannot write about all I have experienced, but if you click here you can find out more. http://www.ourhouse-grief.org/camp-erin-la-oc/
Transformational weekend – of course. Healing – for sure! For the youth… and for me too!
For more pictures, click here.
