Kids and Teens Heal at Unique Camp
Calvary’s Camp Compass® Celebrates 25 Years
(BRONX, NY, August 16) – Calvary Hospital, a New York resource for grieving families, hosts its annual five-day day camp, Calvary’s Camp Compass®, for children and teens experiencing the death of significant others due to illnesses that include Covid-19, accidents, or violence.
“Camp is part of an ongoing process because grief is not a one-off event. We incorporate recreation and bereavement activities to engage children, to draw them out, and provide opportunities for them to bond,” said Maria Georgopoulos, Director of Calvary Bereavement Services.
Calvary Hospital is hosting 40 campers, ages 6 to 18, from the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan at the Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica Estates from August 15-19.
“In all respects, Calvary is about providing compassionate care when someone needs it,” explained Calvary President and CEO, Frank Calamari, who has welcomed more than 1500 children to Calvary’s unique summer camps since 1997.
“For 25 years, we have had sensitive, intelligent teams of counselors working with our children. Each day at camp I see our campers become lighter. They smile more as they develop their coping skills. I witness it every year. And they see it too. Life continues and it does get better,” said Calamari.
This week’s events and activities include songwriting, clowning, art activities, Jeopardy, caricature artists, mindfulness practices and a visit from the Harlem Wizards professional basketball team.
“Calvary is another part of me, like family! They really helped me through my grieving,” said Jonathan, an eleven-year-old bereavement group member who lost his father in 2020. “Without them, I would just be sad, like so sad– no one that I knew at the time went through the same thing that I did.”
Maria Georgopoulos, who has counseled thousands of people dealing with grief and loss over the last two decades explains, “We know grief unfolds differently for each person over time. The right support – informed by education and experience but especially guided by the heart – can make all the difference.”
Calvary’s Bereavement Services host approximately 30 group sessions each week throughout the year for children of all ages as well as adults who have experienced the death of a parent, partner, child, or sibling. Individual bereavement support sessions are also available.
Calvary Hospital also provides support to schools and organizations when there is a death in their community. In addition, it delivers professional grief and bereavement training to nurses, social workers, and mental health counselors throughout Greater New York through its acclaimed Annual Bereavement Course. Generous financial supporters of Calvary’s Camp Compass® include Newman’s Own Foundation, Ho/Chiang Foundation, Gray Foundation, and Trimble Family Foundation.
For more information about Calvary’s Bereavement Services, please talk to Jackeline Abbondandolo on 347-949-1266 or jabbondandolo@calvaryhospital.org
News from Calvary Hospital
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mike Donahue mdonahue@calvaryhospital.org;
Tel: 718-518-2000 x2246 | Cell: 917-581-4833
Director, Public Affairs and Community Relations