 HospiceCare Camp Coral provides Comfort to Children |
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Birch State Park Fort Lauderdale, FL February 19-21, 2010 |
 Camp Coral, a complimentary bereavement camp, took place the weekend of January 30, 2009, at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park's Elk's Youth Camp in Fort Lauderdale. HospiceCare of Southeast Florida established Camp Coral in 1991, for children ages 6 -13, who have suffered the loss of a loved one as a safe environment for children to come to terms with their grief.
“A sure sign that Camp Coral's reputation is growing are the number of referrals we receive. We worked closely with school guidance counselors throughout Broward, Dade, and Monroe counties as well as other non-profit agencies who work with bereaved children such as Tomorrow's Rainbow in Coconut Creek and Hearts and Hope in West Palm Beach…” said Sharon Forde, Camp Coral Director and Director of Volunteer Services for HospiceCare of Southeast Florida. “We are extremely fortunate to have a number of professionals volunteer their time and skill which provided a comprehensive array of clinical modalities. Integrating art, music, drama, and equine therapy the children learned new coping skills to deal more effectively with their losses. This weekend clearly supplemented the daily work of HospiceCare's Forget-Not-Center, with its mission to provide individual grief counseling, art therapy, and support groups for children and adults experiencing loss in a safe environment.” commented Terry Varrasco, LCSW, Bereavement Counselor. In addition, the children enjoyed time out at the beach, a cook-out, and much more. Butterflies are the running theme of Camp Coral and the day's activities cumulates in a butterfly release, followed by s'mores by the camp fire. Camp Coral is entirely staffed by volunteers from HospiceCare which includes employees, Nova Southeastern Department of Family Therapy post graduate students Marcy Greist, MS,ATR-BC, Pamela Goffman, LCSW, Alan Reitman, Ph.D., LMHC, MT-BC, Abby Mosher, certified in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and, past Camp Coral teen campers who volunteer as teen counselors to mentor the campers.” states Sharon Forde.
Camp Coral is a HospiceCare community outreach program that receives support from the local entities such as Dominoes, Publix, Whole Foods Market, Grumpy Gators, and Fresh Image. Camp Coral is available to any child who has suffered a loss whether or not it is hospice related. For more information regarding Camp Coral, please call Sharon Forde at (954) 745-0176.
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