Camp Erin, created and funded by The Moyer Foundation, is a nationwide network of bereavement camps for children and teens ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of someone close to them.
It is a weekend-long experience filled with traditional, fun, camp activities combined with grief education and emotional support -- facilitated by grief professionals and trained volunteers. At Camp Erin, children are comforted knowing that there are other children who understand exactly what they are feeling and experiencing. At Camp Erin, grieving children have an opportunity to address their feelings and memorialize their loved ones. They are provided with tools and resources for use during and after camp, including memories and friendships that last long after camp is complete.
Support from The Moyer Foundation and local communities ensures that Camp Erin is free to all campers.
How does a grieving child benefit from an experience like Camp Erin?
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- Grieving children learn that they are not alone.
- Being a grieving child is a lonely experience. Often he or she is the only one in class who has lost a mom or dad, a brother or sister. At a time in a child’s life when it feels very important to fit in, grief can make him or her feel different, isolated. Camp Erin allows a grieving child to be with other children who share these feelings. It is such a relief for them to know that they are not alone.
- Grieving children learn that their feelings are perfectly normal. The feelings that accompany grief can be intense and overwhelming. Sometimes people even worry that they are “going crazy” with grief. Camp Erin shows children that what they are experiencing, although painful, is perfectly normal.
- Grieving children have an opportunity to address their feelings and memorialize their loved ones. Children often do not have an avenue to express their grief or to honor and remember the person they held dear. Through a variety of activities including drama, arts and crafts, creative writing and physical activities, children have the opportunity to “get their feelings out” while memorializing their loved one.
"This camp addresses the needs of grieving children by decreasing their sense of isolation and normalizing their experience and feelings. This camp is especially unique because of the therapeutic value of combining the healing elements of nature and the wonderful activities that provide safe outlets for the expression of their grief. It was an honor to be a witness to the magic and healing that occurred at Camp Erin. I am extremely grateful for the generosity of The Moyer Foundation and their mission to assist in the healing process of grieving children."
- Cheri Masshardt, grief counselor
Providence Hospice of Seattle
Where is Camp Erin located?
There are currently 28 camps in 18 states. Camp Erin is the largest network of bereavement camps in the United States and Canada. Through the Foundation's "
Campaign for Kids," a national fundraising effort, The Moyer Foundation plans to bring Camp Erin to more than 50 cities nationwide, including one camp in every Major League Baseball city. Each Camp Erin is facilitated through a partnership with a local hospice, hospital, or grief support agency. Together, these organizations and The Moyer Foundation work together to establish new camps, bringing hope and healing to children in more communities each year.
History
Camp Erin is named in memory of Erin Metcalf of Woodinville, Washington, a remarkable young woman who developed liver cancer at the age of 15. Karen and Jamie Moyer met Erin through Make-A-Wish. Erin had a compassionate heart and when she was hospitalized she often expressed concern for the other children there as well as their siblings, who sometimes received little attention.
The Moyer Foundation helped fund several children’s bereavement camps – including camps for the victims of 9/11, discovering the positive impact a camp of this kind could have.
In 2000, when Erin died at the age of 17, Jamie and Karen Moyer wished to honor Erin's memory and her caring spirit. Acknowledging her love of children and her desire to help others, the Moyers felt that a grief camp for children would be an appropriate tribute. The first Camp Erin was established in Everett, Washington in 2002.
The Moyer Foundation continued to open more camps each year, expanding throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2007, the Foundation launched the Campaign for Kids, with the goal of expanding Camp Erin, and opening more than 50 new camps in communities nationwide.
| YEAR |
NUMBER
OF CAMP
SESSIONS |
NUMBER OF
CAMPERS |
| 2002 |
1 |
42 |
| 2003 |
1 |
49 |
| 2004 |
2 |
96 |
| 2005 |
4 |
172 |
| 2006 |
6 |
298 |
| 2007 |
8 |
502 |
| 2008 |
18 |
996 |
| 2009 |
28 |
1721 |