The loss of a grandparent, parent, sibling or friend may occur at some point in a child’s early years.

When a loved one dies, it can be difficult to know how to help kids cope with loss, especially if you are working through your own grief as well.

This fall, Archbold Medical Center’s Hospice of Southwest Georgia will host the 13th annual Camp H.E.A.L. (Healing and Encouragement After Loss), a bereavement day camp that helps children ages 6 to 17 learn to cope with the loss of a loved one.

The day camp, funded through designated gifts made to the Archbold Foundation, is free and open to children who have recently experienced a loss.

“Camp H.E.A.L. is a safe place for children to recover after losing a loved one. The camp provides children a unique environment to relate to others who are also learning to cope with loss,” said Sheri Walters, administrator of Hospice of Southwest Georgia. “We offer lots of fun activities, educational opportunities, and emotional support to help campers learn to cope individually, as well as how to open up to one another and support their fellow campers who are also dealing with the same struggles.”

Trained professionals and volunteers assist with the therapeutic activities offered at the free camp—pet therapy, art therapy, and educational discussions on grief and bereavement—while helping the children discuss the loss of their loved one, so they can learn how to work through grief.

Camp H.E.A.L. will be held in Thomasville on October 13, 2018, from 9am-5pm at Camp Piney Woods.

The deadline to register a camper is October 1, 2018, or until camper registration is at capacity. The deadline to register to become a Camp H.E.A.L. volunteer is September 14, 2018.

For more information on registering a camper or becoming a Camp H.E.A.L. volunteer, call Hospice of Southwest Georgia, 1.800.290.6567, or visit www.archbold.org/campheal.