Camp Bearable
Giving Kids a safe place to talk about their feelings
Camp Bearable began after hurricane Katrina. It is a grief camp for kid’s ages 7-12 that had lost a loved one and need help coping with their grief. Teachers, chaplains, social workers and many others, all volunteer their time for this camp. Camp Bearable was close to the heart of our founding Executive Director who lost her husband and experienced watching her children go through their grief. At the age of 34 her husband died and left her with two young sons ages 8 and 10. Not having others to talk to about what they were going through affected their lives tremendously.
Camp Bearable allows kids a safe place to talk to not only trained counselors but also to other kids about how they feel, and knowing it is okay to feel that way. Seeing kids come to camp on Friday evening, unsure of what the weekend is all about, to seeing them leave with a sense of happiness and freedom on Sunday is an awesome sense of accomplishment. Many kids ask to return the next year because they had such a good time!!
The 30 kids participate in art and music and horse therapy to help them learn how to cope with their grief. Journaling, group discussions, along with camp songs, play time and making new friends all help the campers deal with their loss. Each child gets a Kiwanis bear and a quilt to take home. The quilts are made by the Hosanna Lutheran Church quilting group.
