FEATURE STORY:  August 26, 2010   For Immediate Release

Delaware Hospice’s Camp New Hope celebrates its 20th year at Killens Pond

 

by Beverly Crowl, Public Relations Specialist, Delaware Hospice

 “13 year-old Nataliah Prophet from Dover spoke in a soft voice about her father, who passed away almost a year ago:   “My father was a perfect teacher, coach, teammate, and he was a great disc jockey.   Then he became sick.  It was really hard to see him go.   It was hard for me to be around my friends, and very hard to tell them how I felt about it.  When I came back to school, everyone was asking, “Where have you been?”    It was too hard to talk about.    This week, we came to Camp New Hope, and I found here people who really know what it’s like to lose a parent.”

 

Delaware Hospice’s New Hope program celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.  Social Worker, Ronnie Grady, MSW, played a significant role in the conception of the program.    She said, “We were doing bereavement counseling with children, but found it difficult because they were in school all day and parents were very busy in the evenings.  I thought a summer camp, which included bereavement activities as well as fun things, would offer a golden opportunity for us to work with kids more intensively.”

 

With the supportive leadership of President and C.E.O. Susan Lloyd, this idea gave life to Camp New Hope, which evolved into the New Hope program—a free support program for children in the community who are coping with the loss of a loved one.  Since its inception, New Hope has helped more than 2,000 families and has earned national recognition as a model children’s bereavement program.

 

New Hope counselors meet children’s  needs through a variety of activities, including one-on-one counseling, support groups, information, workshops, or the opportunity to attend Camp New Hope.  Children learn to express their feelings and thoughts, to learn from their grief, and to find life from their loss—to find New Hope.

 

Eight-year old Sierra Grow, from Dover, lost her grandmother.  “I loved her really very much.  At Camp New Hope we talked about stuff.  We did exercises to remember Mom Mom.  And it was fun.”

 

Madison Stalvey, from Milford, lost her grandfather.  She said, “My favorite project at Camp New Hope was the flower pot, where we got to smash it and glue it back together, and later plant a flower in it.  It represents you getting shattered when you lose your loved one, but later on you can turn it into something beautiful.”

 

Ms. Grady said that the format of Camp New Hope hasn’t changed much throughout the 20 years.  “We always had a balance of bereavement and fun activities, a memorial service on the last day, and a tree planting dedicated to our loved ones.  We’ve learned that you can only work on grief projects for a limited amount of time, and then you must allow them to relax and have fun with sports or water games.”

 

Michael Alexitch, who attended Camp New Hope in 1994, as an eleven year old, was keynote speaker at this year’s Memorial Service.  His remarks were relevant to campers as well as their family members who attended the ceremony.

 

“So many years later, I’ve never forgotten Camp New Hope and some important things I learned there.  I learned that I wasn’t alone.  At Camp, everyone there had experienced the loss of someone special to them.  I learned that, unfortunately, death is a part of life, and that it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  I know my father wanted to stay with us, but I also know that his pain and suffering ended, and he’s in a better place now.

 

"I learned that it’s okay to be angry and it’s okay to be happy.  I learned how helpful it is to have a support system and to know there are others your age who can relate to you—which is the most important part of camp.

"And I learned it is okay to be a kid.  I remember when my father passed away how many people said, ‘You’re the head of the house now.’ 

 

While I knew they were trying to be helpful, this puts a lot of pressure on a child.  At Camp New Hope, we did many activities, talked about our loss, engaged in the healing process—but we also played and had a great time.”

 

“In conclusion, I want to say congratulations to Delaware Hospice for organizing such an outstanding program.  It really is a great service to the kids and families of the people they have lost.”

 

If you have or know a child who has recently suffered the loss of a loved one, please call 302-674-4444 to learn more about how Delaware Hospice’s New Hope program can help or visit: www.delawarehospice.org.