St. Mary’s to Offer Bereavement Camp for Kids

St. Mary’s Hospice Services is now taking applications for participation in Camp Nokose, a bereavement camp for children ages 6-12 who are coping with the death of a loved one.

The camp will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sandy Creek Park, located at 400 Bob Holman Road off the Commerce Highway north of Athens. Activities are designed to help children learn effective ways to cope with their loss. This one-day camp is free and includes breakfast, lunch and activities.

“Children who lose someone close to them – a parent, sibling or grandparent, for example – face special issues of grief and loneliness,” says Teresa Scogin, manager of St. Mary’s Home Hospice Services and Hospice House. “Camp Nokose provides a safe and accepting environment in which they can share with others who have experienced the death of a loved one.”

Camp Nokose helps children by providing guided, hands-on activities that allow campers to better understand, accept and express their feelings. Campers learn that they are not alone, develop coping skills, build self-confidence and begin the process of learning to trust and love again, Scogin says. Camp Nokose concludes with a memorial session; parents and guardians are encouraged to attend.

The camp is planned and conducted by registered nurses, licensed social workers, a chaplain and hospice volunteers. All committee members work regularly with families who have experienced loss. Volunteers who work directly with children are screened, selected for appropriateness, and complete a thorough training session.

Camp Nokose is open to children who are past the initial stages of grief, at least three months after the death of the loved one. The camp is free; funding is provided by St. Mary’s Foundation through the generosity of individual donors.

Pre-registration is required prior to Aug. 21. For information or an application, please contact St. Mary’s Hospice Services at 706.389.2273.

St. Mary’s Hospice Services provides care to individuals and families facing end-of-life issues in Athens-Clarke, Banks, Barrow, Elbert, Franklin, Greene, Hart, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton counties.