Hope, Healing and New Beginnings

New Hope summer camp helps children face their grief

By Jennifer Frush | Photos by Bryan Mitchell

“Tackling Grief with New Hope” was an incredible success and helped bereaved children find a safe space to do the grief work. Our theme this year -- “Tackle Your Grief with New Hope” -- was created to help campers find the courage to face their grief, practice to get stronger, and experience perseverance to grow through it.

Our camp is designed to help grieving children connect with other grieving children to learn they are not alone in grief, learn about the emotions and reactions associated with grief so they feel better prepared to handle them with healthy coping strategies when they arise, and to grow through the grief journey by sharing their stories and hearing those of others.

This year we had 117 campers and the support of over 130 volunteers to help bring hope, healing, and new beginnings to children impacted by the death of a loved one. There were nine stations the kids rotated through over the course of two days. Each activity was designed to open up dialogue about the emotions of grief. We are grateful for the donors, sponsors, grantors, community partners, and supports of New

Hope for helping make this possible.

It’s hard to believe that Michigan has one of the highest children bereavement estimate models in the country. One in 11 children are bereaved by the death of a parent or sibling in the home before the age of 18, compared to the national average of 1 in 14. In Wayne County that number drops to 1 in 9 children.

New Hope’s vision as a bereavement resource center is to provide support for children, adults, and families across Southeastern Michigan who are grieving the death of a loved one. We offer numerous peer support programs, education, resources, and more recently we began offering school-based programs and grief sensitivity training. Our services are always free of charge to participants, and we welcome all grieving the death of a loved one.

If you are looking for support, know someone that could benefit from our services, want to get involved, donate, or would like more information please visit our website at newhopecenter.net or call our office at (248) 348-0115.