Camp Good Grief is a bereavement camp for children of all ages held in East Hampton.
	Camp Good Grief is underwritten by proceeds from the East End Hospice Thrift Shop, and by grants and generous donations from the East End community. There are no fees for participation.
	To register for Camp Good Grief, or to request further information, please call East End Hospice Bereavement Coordinator Sarah Zimmerman, 631-288-8400.

Camp Good Grief . . . "We are all connected"

Camp Good Grief - a summer day camp for East End children who have experienced a loss - was founded in 1997 by East End Hospice.

The idea of a camp where children could gather for crafts, walks, and exchanging thoughts had long been in the minds of Hospice bereavement staff. The name "Camp Good Grief" came from children in the Hospice bereavement counseling program, and its "tree of life" logo is drawn by a young program participant. The program is facilitated by certified social workers, therapists, and nurse practitioners extensively trained in grief therapy for children.

Camp Good Grief Today

Skilled bereavement staff members plan and lead each day with care, and are assisted by carefully trained volunteers.

The camp has grown to serve children of all ages, and is offered with no fees for its young participants. Children sometimes come back a second and a third time, and they are always welcome.

"This is not a sad place," notes Hospice President Priscilla Ruffin. "Fun is mixed in with therapy, and the important thing is that these children learn they are not alone, and other children have gone through similar experiences. . . . At school and at home they are different from the other children. But here, they are the same."

Intermixed within the careful planning of each day," adds Bereavement Coordinator Sarah Zimmerman, "are times of group therapy, art therapy, surprises like magicians or making your own ice cream sundaes, and even playing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' on harmonicas passed out all around."

Parents, physicians, and others in the health care field of the East End are urged to recommend Camp Good Grief to the families of children who have experienced a loss. Please call Sarah Zimmerman at East End Hospice, 288-8400.