Camp Forget-Me-Not was again a success! This is a weekend day camp that Ingham Hospice and Ele’s Place put on for kids who have experienced the death of a loved one. They held the first camp in Lansing in 2002 and I have volunteered for them every year. The camp is held at Woldumar Nature Center and the staff there is amazing. We do support group sessions with the kids but we also do a ton of fun activities. I look forward to it every year!

Grieving kids are just like other kids, but often they feel alone because their peers don’t understand what they are going through. Other kids and even adults don’t know how to treat them sometimes because they haven’t experienced tragedy like these kids have. There’s fear of saying the wrong thing so often they don’t say anything at all. This camp gives kids a chance to feel normal and know they are not alone in what they are going through.

Last year I was a “buddy” in the oldest group, the 12 & 13 year olds. I had such a blast with them so I requested to be with that same age group again this year.

Left to right: Maddie, Lauryn, Tabby, Kim, Cindy, Kayla, Mindy.

Local Camp Helping Kids Cope

Above is a link to the story Channel 6 News aired. The girl who was interviewed, Kayla Cooper, was in my group for the past two years. The age range is kindergarten through 7th grade so this was her last year. She’s an amazing young woman and I hope to stay in touch with her in the years to come.

My hair shows up in the video several times, and you’ll see me at the end pictured standing next to Kayla. Thank goodness they didn’t show my face in the Chubby Bunny marshmallow eating contest. In this picture I only have one marshmallow in my mouth. My max was five, but my camera battery died so we didn’t get any shots of it. I would have made it to six if I wasn’t laughing so hard. Dad, what’s your record in this game?

Update: Here is the article from the Lansing State Journal.