As a charity partner for the TCS NYC Marathon, the journey of childhood grief is symbolized with each step of the 26.2 miles run on November 4th, 2018 and every mile that is run in preparation for that day. Whether a runner runs in memory of someone, in honor of someone, as a personal goal, or because they just love to run, the seven members of our ExCamps team are raising awareness for Experience Camps, showing their support, and creating even more opportunities for grieving children to have “the best week of the year”.
Ann Morin of Berlin, New Hampshire is running with “Team ExCamps” for the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon — for Experience Camps, a national non-profit organization that works with grieving children nationwide.
Ann knows the grieving process all too well. Ann’s husband was only 36 years old when he died in 2002. At the time, their children, Keith and Christina, were only 4 and 7 years old.
5 years later, seeking some sense of comfort and peer support for her children, Keith attended the Manitou Experience in Oakland, Maine. Manitou Experience was the first Experience Camp in the United States — free one-week camps for boys and girls who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver.
Ann cried happy tears of thankfulness each night as she saw photos and read updates from the day at camp. It was such an amazing experience for Keith as he has made lifelong friends, grown and learned that he is not alone in his grief. Today, Keith attends Manitou Experience as a counselor and gives back to an organization that has made such a tremendous impact on his own grief journey.
“I am running for the kids to raise awareness of grief resources for children dealing with loss,” says Ann.” It is hard to deal with the death of a loved one at any age, but to be a child and experience the death of a parent is life changing. I am also running in memory of my late husband, as I know he would be thankful for the positive impact Experience Camps has made on my son’s life.”
Experience Camps is as an official charity partner of the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon.
