Free Grief Camps Help 100s of Kids Find Hope After Loss

Ellie Stremmel lost eight loved ones before turning 16, including her mother, grandparents, and even her cat who helped her through it all. The losses came so fast that she barely had time to grieve one before another arrived.

Then last fall, something changed. The Canton teen spent a day at Kourage Kids Camp, where she met other young people carrying the same invisible weight.

"It helped me to realize I wasn't alone," Ellie said. She's returning for her third time this September.

Carle Hospice runs two free grief camps in Illinois for children ages 5 to 17 who have lost someone close. Kourage Kids Camp has been running for 27 years. Camp Healing Heart started in 2005. Both welcome any grieving child, not just hospital patients.

The camps mix therapeutic sessions with outdoor activities, all led by trained volunteers. Kids learn healthy coping strategies and discover they're not the only ones navigating loss.

For siblings Yousef and Mariam Saib Rasheed, Camp Healing Heart last year offered something counseling alone couldn't provide. After their father died of cancer in 2021, they finally met people who genuinely understood.

"We learned there are different ways to grieve," Yousef explained. Sometimes you talk about it. Sometimes you distract yourself with activities. Both are okay.

Sunny's Take

The volunteers often bring their own stories of loss. Jaime Parkinson and her daughter Emma lost a close family friend in April and found that sharing their experience helped campers open up.

"We got the kids to understand that it was OK for them to be sad, that they weren't wrong for feeling angry," Jaime said.

Brothers Jack and Joe Solava lost their father in March 2020. Four years later, they became Camp Healing Heart volunteers, hoping their presence shows campers something vital: you will survive this grief.

"This is not just facing the ugly," Joe said. "It's finding the good in life."

Both camps are completely free thanks to donations. A gift from Rick and Jeanene Stephens will fund Camp Healing Heart for the next five years. Kourage Kids Camp happens September 26 near Lowpoint. Camp Healing Heart runs October 3 at Allerton Park near Monticello.

The message volunteers share echoes through both camps: "There are dark days. At the end of it, you come out into the light."