Working in grief has changed not just my career, but how I live.
In 2009, I was a new mom when we started Experience Camps. During orientation, we reviewed camper profiles – stories of children who had lost parents and siblings. I walked out of that session in tears, my 7-month-old son heavy on my mind. I was suddenly very aware that the only thing separating our story from those pages of grief was pure luck.
Me and baby Tyler in 2009 at camp
Sixteen years later, that realization still sits with me.
Working in grief changes how you see everything. The idyllic scene of a child biking to school. My husband watching a baseball game on TV. A tree branch swaying in the wind. Those same unremarkable moments have all been the opening scene of someone’s worst day.
But this heightened awareness, while heavy, is also a gift.
It teaches you to live differently. To love more intentionally.
So I leave work early for my kid’s soccer games. I plan date nights with my husband even when we’re both exhausted. I say “I love you” maybe more than necessary.
My fear of what I can’t control has become the fuel for what I can.
That tearful new mom from 2009? She’s still pretty tearful, but now with 3 teenagers and a fierce determination to make every day count.
Working with grieving children has taught me that living fully isn’t about living without fear. It’s about transforming that fear into purpose. And for me, there’s no greater purpose than giving every grieving child a life rich with possibility – and maybe a little bit of luck.
Sara Deren is the founder and CEO of Experience Camps. Under her leadership, Experience Camps has conducted original research on the state of grief and launched a national network of programs and platforms for grieving kids and teens. She received her MBA from Columbia, and blends her background of 12 years in finance and business with her passion for the mission. In 2020, she received an award for “Best Entrepreneurial, Scaling” from Connecticut Entrepreneur Awards, and was named a “Patriots Difference Maker” by The Krafts Family and Patriots Foundation. Sara was named by Causeartist one of 32 nonprofit leaders who will impact the world in 2022 and was a 2023 mentor at the SXSW festival.
