Camp Erin Montgomery County exceeded all expectations with its return to in-person activities during the weekend of May 13-15, 2022, with 40 volunteers joining 47 campers for traditional camp fun combined with grief education and emotional support. A member of the national Eluna network of children’s grief support camps, Camp Erin Montgomery County provides friendship, comfort and hope to grieving children and empowers them with skills and tools to cope with their loss.

For three days and two nights, trained and caring volunteers lead groups, organized by age group, through interactive and introspective activities, such as therapeutic art activities, facilitated discussions and remembrance activities. While they explore their grief and learn essential coping skills, they are also able to make friends with peers who are also grieving. The transformative weekend helps them move forward in their grief journey with the knowledge that they are not alone.

“It’s amazing to see how quickly the kids bond,” said Eva Cowen, Director of Camp Erin Montgomery County. “From the youngest campers, away from home for the first time, to the reluctant teenagers, they become fast friends after realizing their shared experiences with grief and loss.”

“The magic starts the first night of camp when we do a memory wall with pictures to remember their loved ones,” Ms. Cowen continued. “You see kids, strangers a few hours earlier, comforting and supporting each other like family. These are the moments that touch our hearts and motivate us to continue doing this important work.”

Camp Erin, a core program of CaringMatters, is offered free of charge, thanks to the phenomenal teamwork of our volunteers and generous support from major funders, including Bar-T, The Dick and Jody Vilardo Foundation, Eluna and The George Preston Marshall Foundation. In addition, many individuals in our community have made monetary gifts or donated goods, services, or time to support Camp Erin Montgomery County.

While most of the costs associated with providing a weekend at Camp Erin for a grieving child or teen are offset through generous support and donations, the experience itself is priceless -- the gift of a lifetime that helps grieving children and teens gently explore their feelings and learn to process the changes in their life due to their loss. Program costs also cover limited year-round programming, information and referral to other grief support services for the whole family and reunion activities.

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