Camp Firefly bringing light to dark times

Camp Firefly provides grief support for children following the death of a parent, sibling, friend or any special person or loved one.

Each August, Camp Firefly is held over a weekend each August at Camp Ockanickon in Medford for bereaved children ages 7 to 14 from Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. The primary purpose of Camp Firefly is to provide grief support for children following the death of a parent, sibling, friend, or any special person or loved one.

This year the camp will be held from Saturday, Aug. 26 to Sunday, Aug. 27. The camp is an extension of the bereavement support services offered by Moorestown Visiting Nurses & Hospice.

Camp Firefly began in 2006 and has been host to up to 60 campers each year. This year is the 12th year of Camp Firefly. To date, more than 500 children have benefitted from attending Camp Firefly. Camp Firefly is free to all children who attend and is supported through donations to Moorestown Visiting Nurses & Hospice. The agency actively seeks financial and in-kind support for the camp year-round.

A comprehensive team of professional counseling staff from Moorestown Visiting Nurses & Hospice and volunteers from the community will be on hand throughout the two days of camp. Campers will spend two days including one overnight participating in specialized activities designed to ease their grief and improve coping skills.

Grief counseling activities and arts-and-craft sessions will be coupled with traditional camp programs such as canoeing, swimming, dancing, a scavenger hunt and campfire gatherings.

This year, the Tri-State K-9 Response Team will visit the camp from about 10:30 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Campers will enjoy the chance to interact with lovable, specially trained dogs.

Camp Firefly is fully supported by grants and donations from the community. Donations may be made by calling (856) 552–1300 or online at www.moorestownvna.org, facebook/moorestownvna.