Comfort Zone Camp is the largest bereavement camp in the country. The camps draw between 60-65 campers and each child is paired with a Big Buddy through a matching process. "We want the campers to completely relate to their Big Buddy," Shrock said. "So the idea is setting the Big Buddy and camper up for success." The camps are a free resource to the families in keeping with Comfort Zone's philosophy of "breaking down all barriers."
Gideon Sonenblick, who lost his father to colon cancer about a year ago, is one of the many repeat campers at the YMCA Camp Mason in Blairstown, NJ and says it feels good to share how you're feeling with others who are having similar feelings. "Sometimes a little sad and angry, but it feels good because thinking of my dad makes me think of all the memories I've had with him and that makes me happy."
Gideon's mom, Cindy, says she saw a difference the moment she picked her son up from the weekend away. "He was a completely different child. If he could've been lit up like a Christmas ree, that's the impression I got," Cindy says. "It's pretty remarkable to have kids in his age group who are 6-8 years old really sharing what they understood their story to be."
The camp is filled with icebreakers, ropes courses, challenges, rock climbing, s'mores, bonfires and other activities you would find at any camp. Lynne and Kelly Hughes, the founders of Comfort Zone, set out to "create a community away from the rest of the world," Shrock said. "Coming here, you enter a world where other kids get it... I always say the kids are the expert and their expert opinion is finding another kid that knows what they're going through."
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Additional resources: HelloGrief.org
Camp Information and Calendar: www.comfortzonecamp.org