This summer, Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association will present the ninth annual Camp Firefly for grieving children at Camp Matollionequay in Medford. This weekend long overnight camp will start on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 23, and conclude at the end of the day on Sunday, Aug. 24.
The overnight camp is free, and open to children ages seven to 14 who have lost a parent, sibling or any special person through death and are still coping with grief.
Campers spend the weekend in a caring, nurturing environment with The Hospice of Moorestown VNA’s team of grief professionals and volunteer counselors, as well as peers who have experienced a similar loss. Traditional camp activities such as swimming, canoeing, hiking, arts and crafts and cookouts are combined with specialized bereavement activities designed to help the children overcome their grief and to cope with the loss of their loved one. In one particularly intense and moving activity, the children design and build small boats containing mementos of their loved one. After dark, these boats are individually candle-lit and launched from the shores of the campsite’s lake.
Applications to attend Camp Firefly are currently being accepted. Camp Firefly provides a place to remember lost loved ones, and a place to heal. For an application and complete information about attending Camp Firefly, or for other available bereavement support services, contact Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association by calling (856) 552–1300 or emailing services@moorestownvna.org.
