New Morning Grief Camp
By: Charlotte Ames
Updated: July 10, 2008
U.S. census figures show that about one-and-a-half million children live with one parent because they've lost the other to death. A larger number of children also experience the death of a grandparent or other relative.
An area woman has launched a new effort to help these kids.
The New Morning Grief Camp is underway at Camp Hileman outside the borough of Hollidayburg, in Frankstown Township, Blair County, this summer. Volunteers who include social workers, a dance instructor, educators, a pastor, as well as other professionals and non-professionals are operating a free grief camp for kids.
Organizer Carol Steffen says, "these volunteers are trained to be active listeners to allow the chidren to express what they'er expressing to help them through activities through arts and crafts to process what they're going through and to put words to those feelings." She decided to establish the local camp, after she and her children attended one in Delaware following the death of her father.
Her son Jesse says, "we were able to talk with our counselors if we needed it and then we did different things, just things to take our mind off it."
And as son Josh puts it, "it was really helpful beacuse it kinda hit me when he passed away and it kind of helped me cope."
Steffen wants to offer kids a way to cope with their feelings that doesn't involve destructive habits. "So the world says hey I've got some drugs I've got some alcohol. What we're going to try to teach these kids in that short amount of time, is coping skills. It is okay to be angry and this is how you deal with that," Carol says.
New Morning Grief Camp is free faith-based and non-denominational.
For more information, you can call Carol Steffen at 814-742-7111 or email her at f6c2j4@aol.com or http://www.newmorninggriefcamp.org .
The New Morning Grief Camp is underway at Camp Hileman outside the borough of Hollidayburg, in Frankstown Township, Blair County, this summer. Volunteers who include social workers, a dance instructor, educators, a pastor, as well as other professionals and non-professionals are operating a free grief camp for kids.
Organizer Carol Steffen says, "these volunteers are trained to be active listeners to allow the chidren to express what they'er expressing to help them through activities through arts and crafts to process what they're going through and to put words to those feelings." She decided to establish the local camp, after she and her children attended one in Delaware following the death of her father.
Her son Jesse says, "we were able to talk with our counselors if we needed it and then we did different things, just things to take our mind off it."
And as son Josh puts it, "it was really helpful beacuse it kinda hit me when he passed away and it kind of helped me cope."
Steffen wants to offer kids a way to cope with their feelings that doesn't involve destructive habits. "So the world says hey I've got some drugs I've got some alcohol. What we're going to try to teach these kids in that short amount of time, is coping skills. It is okay to be angry and this is how you deal with that," Carol says.
New Morning Grief Camp is free faith-based and non-denominational.
For more information, you can call Carol Steffen at 814-742-7111 or email her at f6c2j4@aol.com or http://www.newmorninggriefcamp.org .
Charlotte Ames is the area's only local Health Reporter and brings you the latest medical health news weeknights. You can catch Healthcast on WTAJ News at 5:00pm and her Health Headlines report on WTAJ News at 5:30pm.