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KINGSTON TWP. — A small group of children, some as young as 6 years of age, huddled together around the stalls in a barn at The Lands at Hillside Farms this week, peeking through gaps in the boards at the curious animals on the other side.
The youngsters, hailing from different backgrounds, each carried their own unique stories, but all knew at least one thing in common: the pain of loss.
The first ever five-day Grief Camp for Children was co-sponsored by the farm and Hospice of the Sacred Heart and funded through a private donation. During the camp, grief professionals and trained volunteers from both entities provided campers with emotional support, fun activities and education, helping them learn to cope with their grief.
MaryLou Kidd, director of counseling services at the hospice, described the camp as “fun, but educational, too.”
She said, to her knowledge, this is the only camp in the country that combines grief education with a farm experience.
A camp brochure highlights this partnership, stating, “Not only can there be life after loss, there can be fun times and new friends. Using Hillside Farms as a living example of the interconnectedness we have to each other and the earth, Grief Camp is transformed into an experience offering coping strategies, communication skills and learning how to say good-bye.
“At Hillside’s Farm Camps, children have the chance to become engaged with the farm on a much deeper level. Campers will work alongside staff members, assisting with chores relevant to the operation of the farm.”
Activities the campers participate in throughout the week include keeping a journal, farm chores, art therapy, hay rides, ice cream and other snacks, animal haltering and walking, hiking, reading to goats, various educational presentations, planting a memory garden and a butterfly release.
Siblings Tyler and Mackenzie Milo, who volunteered as camp counselors with Hospice of the Sacred Heart, were able to bond with the campers on perhaps a deeper level than other staff members, as they know first-hand what the children are experiencing. They lost their father in 2008, when Tyler was 11 and his sister was 8 years old.
Both went through the Hospice of the Sacred Heart’s Dragonfly Program, a service designed for children and their parents to help them cope with the death of a loved one. And both later returned to the program to help other children going through the same loss.
“Them sharing their journey has really helped the children with their healing journey and with not feeling alone,” said Kidd. “We are really fortunate that they came back. I am thrilled.”
For the Milo siblings, the best part of the Grief Camp was seeing the children start to “come out of their shells” and make friends, even on just the second day of camp.
“They seem happier, more willing to talk,” Mackenzie said.
Tyler agreed, adding, “They opened up a lot.”