“I didn’t want to come here, until I got here,” J.B. Bridge, a 13-year old Middletown resident who participated in the Camp New Hope program, said. “Everyone is friendly and they help me talk about it [his loss]. It is an amazing experience.”
The four-day camp is for 6- to 17-year-old kids who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
The 17th annual Camp New Hope for New Castle held its week of activities at Lums Pond State Park June 23 through June 26.
Earlyne Vann, camp director for the Delaware Hospice New Hope program, said Camp New Hope is phenomenal because it is a free program that focuses on children.
“There is a need for children to talk about grief and bereavement,” she said.
The camp provides kids with the chance to share their situation with peers in a supportive environment. The camp is part of Delaware Hospice’s year-round New Hope program that helps children cope with the death of a close family member.
Vann said the hospice attends the home of the children’s loved one who is passing, helps the child through bereavement and offers the camp as another way to express their feelings.
“My favorite experience at the camp is when I saw the kids that I met before on the bus the first day,” she said. “I knew the kids needed this outlet. I love seeing the kids faces and them bonding with others.”
Trained volunteers counsel the children through activities, games and sports. There were 35 campers and 38 volunteers this year. Nine to 10 children were placed in individual groups with two camp leaders per group.
“We could not do Camp New Hope without the dedication of our volunteers,” Vann said.
Children were able to talk with a chaplain, nurse and funeral director about questions they had about their loss.
Campers grieved with a variety of camp activities such as a memory box – where they placed a symbolic item of the loved one in a box the camper created, played sports like football and Frisbee, went paddle boating, made worry beads, T-shirts, ate camp food and more.
Julian Manista, a camper who is 7 years old, said he had much fun with everyone at Camp New Hope and also enjoyed paddle boating.
“My favorite part is the boats because I get to splash people,” he said.
One feature at the camp was Personal Ponies, Ltd., an international non-profit organization that offers community ponies for children to engage with for free.
Volunteers of the organization surprised the campers with three ponies named Maggie, Dandy and Violet, after they finished paddle boating. The children were able to groom and pet the ponies.
Patty Draper, Delaware state director for Personal Ponies, said they have been working with Delaware Hospice for many years to help children cope with death.
“The ponies are here to listen and don’t judge the kids for what they are feeling,” she said.
Diana Bendistis, volunteer counselor, said she really likes how the hospice helps relieve the pain of the loved ones who pass and their family and friends.
“People shy away from grief and don’t realize how it is important to support the kids and get them through it,” she said. “The kids understand death and the camp gives them a chance to get [their feelings] out.”
Every year, campers plant a tree to represent the memory of everyone’s loved one. On the last day, the camp had a memorial service with parents, guardians, relatives, camp volunteers and Delaware Hospice staff members. Each camp member hung a special handmade ornament they created in honor of their loved one on the tree.
“It is a sacred time for them because a lot of kids didn’t attend the funeral,” Vann said. “For a lot of kids, this is the first time for them to memorialize their loved one.”
Children also received a yearbook, which included photographs from their camp experience and personal stories they wrote about what they’re going through.
Although the camp is available to children one time, the kids always ask if they can come back.
Megan Youtz, bereavement counselor, said a lot of the kids don’t want to leave and sometimes request that it be an overnight camp.
“Their energy is amazing,” she said.
The camp started in 1990 and more than 1,250 children have attended since. Delaware Hospice also holds the Camp New Hope program in Kent and Sussex counties.
For more information, call (800) 838-9800, go to www.delawarehospice.org or email newhope@dealware hospice.org.
Bear, Del. —
