Kids Experiencing Tremendous Loss & Grief Get Help From Camp Forget Me Not
FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4) - Camp Forget Me Not is a club no one chooses to be in, but if you do find yourself meeting the criteria for membership, organizers say you are glad it exists. The nonprofit helps children who are dealing with the death of a family member.
Sunday a group of volunteers, therapists and kids at the Frisco Nordic Center for some skiing. Along the way, healing was happening too.
Laughter isn't the first thing you would expect coming from kids who are dealing with death, but it's exactly what was heard out on the trail.
"It's a grief and loss program for kids age 5 to 18 who have had an immediate family member who has died. So, providing a support group and a community for them because it can be can so isolating to have a family member die," founder Stacy Smith told CBS4.
For the kids, it's all about having fun and making friends.
"It's all about letting other kids know that they are not alone," Smith added.
When Smith encountered several deaths in the community at once a few years ago, the question that everyone was asking was, "What can we do?"
"We were having a really high rate of an unusual death in the community, and 'what can we do to support the community?' and I was like let's create a program," Smith explained.
The camp is completely free for the kids to participate. Volunteers lead weekend events like this cross country skiing outing. They go hiking, ice skating, all kinds of fun things for kids to hang out with others dealing with the same feelings about loss and grief.
Because when facing grief and loss, it's better to have friends that understand.
LINK: Camp Forget Me Not
