Camp Helps Kids Grieve

It's tough enough for an adult to lose a loved one to cancer. Imagine how devastating it is for a child. To support these children, Philadelphia Phillies pitching great Jamie Moyer and his wife Karen started Camp Erin, nationwide.

Camp Erin is weekend-long overnight camp designed for children and teens, ages 6 to 17, who are grieving the death of someone close to them. It is a traditional, fun, high-energy camp combined with grief education and emotional support. Camp Erin is offered at no charge to participants.


How Camp Erin helps
Campers learn they are not alone in their grief. Being a grieving child can be a lonely experience. Camp Erin is a place where children and teens can bond with peers who are experiencing similar feelings and emotions. It is a relief for them to know they are not alone.

Campers learn that their feelings are normal. The feelings that accompany grief can be confusing and overwhelming. Camp Erin is a safe place for children and teens to express and better understand difficult feelings.

Campers remember and honor their loved ones. Through grief support, rituals and expressive art activities, children and teens have an opportunity to explore their feelings while remembering the person who died.

The Moyer Foundation was founded by World Series champion and Major League All-Star pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife, Karen, with a mission is to help children in distress. Camp Erin is the foundation's largest and farthest-reaching initiative. The Moyer Foundation partners with health care and bereavement organizations in local communities to help fund, develop and grow Camp Erin nationwide.  There goal is to have a Camp Erin in every town that has a major league baseball team.

Find a camp near you:
http://www.moyerfoundation.org/programs/CampErin_FindYourCamp.aspx

Camp Erin website:
http://www.moyerfoundation.org/programs/camperin.aspx




What can you do with this information?

• If you know a child who has lost a loved one, send their parent this article.
• Contact your friends and family who work in  health care or counseling and suggest that they include this camp in their list of resources. In addition to making sure that Camp Erin receives more publicity, it will give you a chance to re-connect with family and friends.
• The next time you see an article about how corrupt and spoiled professional athletes are, remember the kindness and generosity of Jamie and Kim Moyer.