Camp Caroline
A Student Bereavement Program
story by LANELLE FABIAN photos by SUSAN DELOACH
We all will go through the death of someone close to us at some point. While it’s an inevitable part of life losing someone we love can be painful and overwhelming for adults and children. Grief is a natural and normal response to death made up of many feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It’s a process that can last a lifetime. Adults have to manage day-to-day life and their own grief. Often, they overlook their child’s grief or try to protect them from a difficult experience. We should be aware of a child’s response to a death in the family and look for signs that they are having difficulty coping with grief. When grief is unaddressed, it can cause one to feel isolated and alone. These feelings can lead to negative impacts on someone’s life. Grieving children are at a greater risk than their peers for health problems, depression, substance abuse, and suicide. In South Carolina, 1 in 10 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18.
The Student Bereavement program at FRIENDS of Caroline began in 2000. While staff and volunteers were conducting adult bereavement sessions, the inadequate support for children became more and more apparent. The organization partnered with the Beaufort County School District to begin conducting support groups for students in a school setting. The success of the program relies on a few moving parts:
• A signed agreement from a school’s principal.
• A school counselor or social worker to identify students in need.
• A room provided by the school during school hours to host the group.
• A permission slip signed by the parent or guardian for the student’s participation.
• A team of trained volunteers to facilitate and encourage interaction and expression of feelings through art, music, journaling, and sharing with peers.
Sessions last six weeks, and while facilitators evaluate a student’s progress, students also evaluate their experience. Today, the Student Bereavement program of FRIENDS of Caroline has grown to provide support groups for students in private and charter schools; workshops for school counselors, social workers, and teachers; coaching for parents; and a 2-day camp during the summer.
Camp Caroline began in 2015 as an extension of the Student Bereavement program. The 2-day camp is free and welcomes an average of 20 students in grades 1 through 12 from Beaufort and Jasper counties, including public, charter, private, and home schools. The campers participate in sessions very much as they would in a group at a school, with the addition of some traditional camp activities. Camp Caroline provides a safe, caring environment where students can learn how to share their grief experiences with each other, recognize the support systems around them, and cope effectively with their grief emotions.
Campers participate in various activities designed to help them in different ways.
Learning they are not alone is an important step in the grief journey. Campers are assigned to teams that are divided by grades. Campers immediately get to know each other by sharing stories about themselves, their families, and their loved ones who died.
Art therapy can assist in recognizing changes that result from grief and learning coping strategies by facilitating both positive and negative emotions. Most campers will receive a box or a bag that they can embellish to remember their loved ones and use to bring home items at the end of camp, among other art therapy activities.
Pet therapy helps to decrease stress and anxiety and to lower blood pressure. A visit from the Alliance of Therapy Dogs was a camp favorite in 2022.
Physical activities are an effective way for campers to reduce and improve their ability to cope with stress, increase feelings of energy, and improve self-esteem. Campers are encouraged to participate within their own comfort level. These activities could include a climbing wall, an outdoor game or obstacle course, a walk, yoga, and a fire department hose down. Indoor activities are on standby in case of inclement weather.
Music therapy allows us to access, discover, and experience our emotions. It provides an outlet to grieve when we can’t find our own words. Its ability to connect us with others is magical. Campers bond through music during a session and have been known to start an unprompted sing-along at other times during camp.
A special session for parents and guardians is provided during Camp Caroline. Parents and guardians can process their own grief, discuss difficult moments they experience with their students, and receive training on grief and the grief process. They also receive books and tools that can help them help their students.
Our Butterfly Release is our traditional way of concluding camp. Campers, their families, and camp staff & volunteers gather for a few inspiring words, and everyone releases a butterfly as a symbol of the perpetuation of life.
Camp Caroline is operated with FRIENDS of Caroline staff and volunteers, including administrators, nurses, and facilitators. Volunteers are official FRIENDS of Caroline volunteers, and have completed the vetting process and fulfilled the training requirements. Each team has a Lead Facilitator with experience leading student groups in the schools. Meals and snacks are provided, and dietary needs are accommodated.
Campers evaluate their experience at the end of each camp. Our collection of evaluations from over the years shows the students like meeting new people who have also lost a loved one, expressing their feelings through talking and art, remembering their loved one, and playing during camp activities.
Do You Have a Student Who is Grieving the Death of a Loved One?
Contact your school Social Worker or Counselor about a school support group or Steve Scudder, the FRIENDS of Caroline Coordinator of Support Services, about our Coaching for Parents group.
Camp Caroline 2023 will be held Wednesday, June 21, and Thursday, June 22, at John Paul II Catholic School on Highway 170 in Okatie.
Space is limited. Applications will be available this Spring. Look for email links through your school or check our website at fochospice.org. Applications will be reviewed, and parents and guardians will be notified of acceptance. Upon acceptance, the camp packet will be sent requesting more information about the student and their grief experience to better prepare our facilitators. Other information may include camper’s dietary needs and additional important information.
How Can You Help?
Become a Sponsor. Camp Caroline is free to campers, so sponsors are needed to cover costs. Monetary donations as well as donations of lunches, snacks, and supplies are welcome. Businesses and organizations are recognized on our camp T-shirts and our website.
Become a Volunteer. Volunteers are needed in different capacities during camp to assist our Lead Facilitators during sessions, serve meals, and organize outdoor activities. This is a great opportunity for individuals and groups, and training is provided. FRIENDS of Caroline application/screening process, a desire to help students, and the patience to actively listen as they process their feelings are required.
Our staff at FRIENDS of Caroline is eager to talk to you more about our Student Bereavement program and Camp Caroline: Partners, Sponsors & Volunteers, Schools, Parents, Volunteer Facilitators and Assistants.
LaNelle Fabian, CVA
Director of Community Engagement
lanelle@fochospice.org
843-525-6257
Steve Scudder, M.Div, MSW
Coordinator of Support Services
steve@fochospice.org
843-525-6257
