During Camp Hope in Warsaw in 2022, kids work on collages in honor of loved ones who passed away. The grief support camp returns in July. Photo provided.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Kids need support when they’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, says Cara Allebach.

Children may find help at the third annual Camp Hope in Warsaw, she said. The camp is an offshoot of Ryan’s Place, a grief support organization for kids based in Goshen, which has also worked with Warsaw Community Schools for at least 10 years, providing grief groups.

Those who will be in first through seventh grade in the fall and have had someone close to them pass away may attend the camp, which is free thanks to funding from the United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties.

Camp Hope is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, through Thursday, July 20, at Warsaw Community Church. Free transportation is available from Warsaw Community Schools for WCS students.

Activities will include art programs once again provided by Spoonful of Imagination. There will also be music and a drum circle, games and more. WCS will provide free meals to all campers.

Kids should be preregistered by Monday, July 10, to attend camp. That may be done by calling Ryan’s Place at (574) 535-1000 or visiting https://ryansplace.org/programs/camp-hope/.

Allebach, coordinator for Camp Hope in Warsaw and a WCS mental health therapist, noted there were around 40 campers the first year the camp was in Warsaw in 2021.

“For some, it was a surprise to see that many children in our community were in need of grief support; however, the need has continued to rise,” she said. “There are many children and families in our communities who desperately need grief support after a loved one dies.”

“Through my work in the local schools, I have personally seen this need continue to rise each year,” she added. “More children are losing parents to the opioid epidemic, car and motorcycle accidents and even unexpected natural causes.”

Last year, around 30 campers attended.

Allebach said volunteers are welcomed, with people able to sign up by calling Ryan’s Place at the above number. All volunteers must pass background checks.

Among volunteers this year will be a former camper, the first time that’s happened since Camp Hope came to Warsaw, said Allebach.

“Our kids need to know that they are not alone with their grief and that others are experiencing similar thoughts and emotions after a death,” she said. “At Camp Hope, children can come to begin to process their feelings and emotions surrounding their loved one.”