The death of a family member or friend brings pain to many, including children or youth whose grief is often misunderstood in the loss of a loved one. Camp Kate, open to children ages 6 – 14 in the Rockdale and Newton County area allows them to spend time with other children who share the loss of a parent, grandparent, other family member or close friend.

Camp Kate, sponsored by the Longleaf Hospice Foundation, will be held on Saturday Oct. 24 at Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Conyers from 8:30am to 5:00pm. The camp is staffed with trained counselors and social workers, volunteers from Longleaf Hospice and a local church, several college and high school students, and therapy dogs and their owners. Through a variety of activities involving music, art, pet therapy or play, and small group sessions where participants can share their feelings about loss or pain in a safe environment, they will come away with the understanding that they are not alone in their grief, and there are ways to remember their loved ones and become stronger in their grief process.

If you have a child or children who have experienced the death of a loved one, or if you are a counselor, youth leader, social worker or minister aware of a family with children who might benefit from this experience and would like more information, please contact Jane Caruso, bereavement coordinator – Longleaf Hospice at 404-374-2313.