A camper at last year’s Camp Hope in Warsaw works on a craft. Ryan’s Place, a grief support organization for children, teens and families in Goshen, is once again offering the camp in Warsaw in July. Photo provided.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — A special camp returns to Warsaw in July to help kids who’ve lost a loved one.

For the second year in a row, Ryan’s Place of Goshen, a grief support organization for children, teens and families, will host Camp Hope. It’s for kids who have just completed kindergarten through sixth grade and will be held at Warsaw Community Church, 1855 S. County Farm Road, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, through Thursday, July 14.

The camp is free thanks to funding from United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties. Lunch will also be provided thanks to Warsaw Community Schools.

Camp Hope Warsaw Coordinator Cara Allebach said organizers opted to have the camp again due to perceiving the need for it.

“We had over 40 children attend from all over Kosciusko County,” she said regarding last year’s camp. “I believe that this shows the urgency and need of grief support in our community. Also after last year’s camp ended, many children were wanting to know if they could come back (this year).”

The camp offers grief support to kids through various activities. Spoonful of Imagination Art Studio of Warsaw once again will offer art therapy, and there will also be read-alouds and circle time/discussions. Allebach noted kids will be doing activities with others the same age as them.

A change from last year – campers will get more breaks from activities.

“We noticed that the children needed breaks during the day to decompress and just enjoy being together without a structured activity taking place. We have more movement breaks (both indoor and outdoor) planned for camp this year,” said Allebach.

“We also had a drum circle last year, but unfortunately our drum circle leader was unable to return to camp this year. We are working on adding some time with one or two music therapists to camp this year instead of the drumming circle,” she added.

Allebach said camp organizers want kids “to be able to see that they are not alone in their grief journey.”

“We are hoping that they will see that there are other kids struggling with the losses of loved ones too,” she said. “We want the children to know that grief is a normal part of life and how to learn how to cope with their feelings that arise when someone you care for dies.”

“People can feel angry, sad, confused, disappointed and full of regret or guilt when someone dies — these are big emotions for children to handle on their own, and we want to give them a safe place to begin talking about their feelings and some time to begin (or continue) to process what they think and feel about the death that has occurred,” she continued. “Since children are young and have unique ways of grieving, we do this work through arts, crafts, music, games, activities and discussions together.”

Kids don’t have to be from Kosciusko County to participate in the camp. If children attend Warsaw Community Schools, the corporation will provide transportation for them to camp.

The deadline to register is Friday, July 1. People may register their child by contacting Ryan’s Place at 574-535-1000 or emailing [email protected].

People can also email Allebach at the above address with any questions or if they wish to volunteer at the camp.

Ryan’s Place is also planning one-day grief support camps for kids in Syracuse and Columbia City in the fall.

“These additional camps were added to our calendar due to the needs in outlying areas around our community,” said Allebach. “During the school year, I work as a mental health therapist with Warsaw Community Schools. Myself and many local colleagues know how difficult it is for families to access mental health support and more specifically grief support.”

“It can be difficult for children and families in Warsaw and its surrounding small towns to access this care,” she continued. “Many times these children and families would have to travel to the Fort Wayne or South Bend area to access a grief center and its services. … Having camps in Syracuse and Columbia City brings these supports a little bit closer.”