Camp Erin: Los Angeles Part One - Forever Flags
Over the weekend of August 22-24th I was a camp counselor for Camp Erin: Los Angeles, which takes place in Malibu, California. I was assigned to a cabin of 9 little girls who all had someone close to them die. The children attend Camp free of charge and are given free grief counseling during the weekend!
Unfortunately I am not able to share photos with you of the campers, but it is more important that their privacy and confidentiality stay intact. I can however share photos of the camp and fill you in on what goes on there, I am going to split this up into several blogs for you though, because putting it all into one would be way to long!
On Friday the children arrive at Camp and meet all of their other campers. For many of these children, it is the first time they are meeting another child who has lost a parent. They arrive a little afraid and shy but are eager to meet each other and grab a snack!
The first activity the children do is create a “Forever Flag”. This Flag is cloth material and gets hung in the Dining room for the rest of Camp. The children are encouraged to draw photos of what their lost loved one used to like doing. One of my campers drew Chips and Salsa because her father loved Mexican Food. Another child wrote a letter to her mom with a drawing of them holding hands. At the end of Camp on Sunday- the children take these home with them, to “fly forever”
Stay tuned to hear more about what happens at Camp Erin!
Ignite you spark,
Samantha Riddle
Miss International 2014
Unfortunately I am not able to share photos with you of the campers, but it is more important that their privacy and confidentiality stay intact. I can however share photos of the camp and fill you in on what goes on there, I am going to split this up into several blogs for you though, because putting it all into one would be way to long!
The sign outside of the turnoff for camp!
On Friday the children arrive at Camp and meet all of their other campers. For many of these children, it is the first time they are meeting another child who has lost a parent. They arrive a little afraid and shy but are eager to meet each other and grab a snack!
The first activity the children do is create a “Forever Flag”. This Flag is cloth material and gets hung in the Dining room for the rest of Camp. The children are encouraged to draw photos of what their lost loved one used to like doing. One of my campers drew Chips and Salsa because her father loved Mexican Food. Another child wrote a letter to her mom with a drawing of them holding hands. At the end of Camp on Sunday- the children take these home with them, to “fly forever”
All of the children bond together over their drawings!
Stay tuned to hear more about what happens at Camp Erin!
Ignite you spark,
Samantha Riddle
Miss International 2014
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