Monday, August 07, 2000
Camp eases kids' grief
By Susan Vela
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT MITCHELL — When Phillip and Becca Allen lost their grandmother to lung cancer, they were devastated.
Phillip, now 8, regressed developmentally and began sucking on his collars. Becca, now 12, remembers arguing more with her mother, Tami Burgoyne.
Camp Great Escape, now in its second year, helped the entire family to heal, they said.
Plus, Becca said, “It was really just a fun time.”
The bereavement camp in Carroll County gives 6- to 12-year-old children — from throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky — the chance to cope with the loss of a loved one.
They share their grief, learn to understand their feelings and explore them in healthy ways while also squeezing in normal summer camp activities: swatting at mosquitoes, hiking nature trails, doing colorful artwork and sleeping overnight in cabins.
“Fun is a natural way of coping,” said camp coordinator Marshae Ohms, an art therapist at Hospice of Northern Kentucky. “Grief is such a unique human phenomenon. We're letting them
know they're not alone (and) that there's another little boy out there who lost their dad.”
“It opens up communication,” said Marsha Linnemann, another camp coordinator and a licensed funeral director with Linnemann Funeral Homes in Northern Kentucky.
At Camp Great Escape, children tackle camp activities intended to help them release their pain. Making drums in honor of those they have lost. Participating in a memorial drum ceremo ny. Performing in a play. Sitting down with a doctor for a question-and-answer session.
Children have many questions about their loss, Ms. Linnemann said. “What causes cancer?” “Did I do anything (to cause the death)?” “Maybe I didn't pray hard enough?”
Phillip and Becca are heading to camp a second year. Phillip still cherishes his camp necklace, which he made with wood, string and colorful beads that represent chores he did or questions he asked while at camp.
Becca likes to show off a plaque that portrays a broken heart with a bandage. Her artwork became the illustration on camp brochures.
Success becomes evident when children share their feelings or become more approachable, said Ms. Linnemann and Ms. Ohms.
Children take their cues from adults and sometimes need the camp to release their pain, they said.
Ms. Linnemann helped coordinate the STARS program, a grief support program for kids, about five years ago. That led to Camp Great Escape, which is sponsored by Hospice of Northern Kentucky, St. Elizabeth Medical Center's hospice program, Linnemann Funeral Homes and other agencies. This year's camp is Sept. 22-24.
The cost is $15 per child or, if more than one child is attending, $20 per family. Camp scholarships are available.
For more information, contact Marshae Ohms at Hospice of Northern Kentucky, (859) 441-6332.
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