KNIGHT: Camp Good Grief set for another summer of helping kids heal

Published 4:35 pm Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Realizing that a society can be judged by the way it provides for its

children, a local organization is doing an excellent job of offering

help and support to the most vulnerable kids in the area- those who

have suffered a loss of a loved one.  And for children, this loss

doesn’t always mean the death of someone close to them- it could be

the loss of a pet, having to move to a strange town, or going through

divorce.

For the past 24 years, Hospice Care Options has helped

children between the ages of six and fourteen to heal by getting them

together once a year for the now well-known Camp Good Grief.

Coordinators Brenda Knight and Tammie Malone have already done most of

the work for the next camp, which begins on May 31.  They have

gathered all the volunteers they need to have the camp operate

smoothly, which will allow the specialists to pay close attention to

the children.

There are approximately 20 volunteers.  The children are organized in

four groups, depending on their age.

The therapy, available to the kids during Camp Good Grief has five

aspects, and different ones are used depending on the needs of each

individual case.  These include art therapy, music therapy, writing

therapy, pet therapy and recreational games.

The camp lasts three days and during the last day, the parents or

guardians of each child are invited to join a final ceremony.

Children are considered resilient to the situations surrounding them

and are therefore overlooked for offerings of support and

encouragement.  The goal of Camp Good Grief is to allow the children

to discover different outlets and resources from their feelings of

frustration, sadness, anger and guilt.

Knight and Malone are urging parents and guardians to pick up and

submit the applications for a child in need as soon as possible.  The

deadline for applications is May 23.  Since the camp provides

lunches and snacks for the camp’s three-day duration, it would be

helpful for the organizers to know as early as possible how many

children are to be expected.

The funds for the camp are provided by the sponsor of Camp Good Grief-

Hospice Care Options of Milledgeville.  However, donations from the

community are always welcomed and needed.

Camp Good Grief will be held at Northside Baptist Church on May

31st-June 2nd.   The applications can be picked up at Hospice Care

Options at 163 Roberson Mill Rd, near the Childcare Network DayCare

Center.  Parents can also call HCO at 1-800-76-5793 or at

478-453-8572.

Brenda H. Knight, Camp Good Grief coordinator

Milledgeville