Camp offers support for children troubled by death

Sunday, May 4, 2008

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Camp Erin allows children to grieve and grow.

MANATEE COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- In a Bay area camp where water balloons burst, children play games and create arts and crafts; there is something deeper.

The camp, called Camp Erin, caters to kids who've had to grow up fast. Most of the children at the camp attend because a person who was significant in their life has passed away.

The camp is for children such as Gabriel Beck, Dalton Gray and Amber Marken. They're all dealing with death.

One in 20 children will lose a parent by the time they graduate from high school.

"The hardest part about camp was writing the letter to my dad," Marken said.

"I saw the picture of my grandpa and me and it just struck everything inside of me," Beck said.

For 3 days the children grieve and grow.

"I was really surprised at how many people actually understand what I was going through," Beck said.

The Camp Erin program is nationwide. Hospice volunteers work with the Moyer Foundation, so that the camp is free for all children.

Camp Erin is the largest network of bereavement camps in the country. Organizers are hoping to establish at least 50 new camps in every major league baseball city.