My mom died in 2011 from a brain aneurysm, and my world was flipped upside down. When she died, everything became confusing and I started to feel empty and broken. After she died, I went to a different grief camp for myself. I was the shy camper who didn’t say much and I even cried on the way to camp. During camp, I had a counselor who would wake us up singing, and that same counselor is still in my life today. She’s my person. She’s the one who told me about Experience Camps!
My time this past summer at Experience Camps was truly amazing and magical. It was my first time volunteering, and as soon as I got off the bus I realized the staff and other volunteers were very welcoming, energetic and awesome. I was nervous and very shy at first, being my first time there and not really knowing anyone, but that all changed very quickly.
To be given an opportunity to volunteer and provide a fun, supportive, and safe place for kids who are going through their own grief experience is such a blessing. At camp I can be my truest self. It’s a place where I don’t feel alone, and where I feel love coming from every direction.
I’ll never forget watching the campers come off the bus this summer. I started crying happy tears because I knew what it took for those kids to come to camp. They are courageous in sharing their own stories about the person who died in their life with people they just met! Knowing that there are people out there who are going through something similar is such a comforting feeling. We are all connected in some way.
I couldn’t stop smiling the whole week while I was at Experience Camps. Real smiles and happiness were overflowing. Grief camp is something so beautiful. It’s a safe place where you are not alone and it’s filled with love, strength, tears, laughs and so much more. Experience Camps truly holds a special place in my heart. All of the camp songs are even still stuck in my head! I can’t wait to volunteer again!
Applications for 2020 volunteers are now open. Click here to apply.
