Comfort Zone Camp – Helping Grieving Children
By M. Kotch
Source: Flickr.com
The loss of a loved one is a traumatic event in anyone’s life. That loss is all the more profound when it happens to a young person. Children are like sponges, absorbing the sadness of the adults around them; they are often unable to voice their own grief or process loss in the same way as grown ups do. Luckily, modern psychiatry offers us a guide into the mind of the young and grieving.
Armed with tools to help young people cope with grief, CZC or Comfort Zone Camp, is a nationwide network of bereavement camps designed specifically for children and teenagers from the ages of 7-17 who are dealing with the loss of a parent, primary caregiver or sibling.
What is Comfort Zone Camp?
CZC is a non-profit network of camps located across the country. It is specifically designed to help grieving children overcome the initial shock of losing a loved one and learn the ways to deal with grief on an ongoing basis. Currently, camps are located in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia. Campers do not need to live in these states to attend CZC.
What is the cost of sending a child to Comfort Zone Camp?
Youngsters selected to attend CZC do so at no cost. Just as with other non-profits, this is possible because of donations, sponsorships and grants. A Donation of $500 sponsors a camper for a weekend; $700 sponsors a camper for a weeklong stay; $1000 provides a travel sponsorship for a camper as well as a parent or guardian.
What do kids do at Comfort Zone Camp?
Camp activities include sports (such as football and hiking) as well as arts and crafts. What differentiates Comfort Zone Camp from other typical summer camps, however, is the inclusion of support groups, or “healing circles,” as they are known at CZC.
How does Comfort Zone Camp help grieving youngsters?
In addition to healing circles, the camp provides children and teenagers the opportunity to say goodbye to a loved one by organizing memorials that include poems, songs and other activities.
How long are Camp sessions?
CZC offers weekend and weeklong sessions. Children and teenagers are encouraged to return in later years as campers and/or councilors
Does CZC offer any support for adults?
Past campers can return as councilors; adults, caregivers or parents are invited for camp dinners and encouraged to attend memorials services that campers plan.
How can adults support CZC?
The camp depends on sixty to sixty-five volunteers per camp, per weekend. CZC also enacts a “big buddy” system where adults are paired with grieving children. In addition to big buddies, the camp looks to administrators, nurses, photographers and junior volunteers to donate their time toward the camps. Corporate sponsors as well as individual donations through the company’s Web site allow the camps to welcome grieving children year after year.
For more information, visit http://www.comfortzonecamp.org
Source: Flickr.com
