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Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care News

May 25, 2012

For more information contact:

Kenyon Delk

kanderson-delk@kchospice.org

Office: 816-276-2632

The Moyer Foundation and Kansas City Hospice Offer Free Bereavement Camp for Children

Camp Erin Kansas City Hosts Camp Experience in
Parkville, Mo., June 8-10, 2012

For a child or teen, the loss of a family member or friend can lead to feelings of isolation, and other risk factors such as depression and substance abuse. Camp Erin™, which comes to Parkville, Mo., on June 8-10, 2012, addresses the needs of these grieving children by teaching healthy ways to cope with grief and memorializing their loss.

This camp experience is unlike any other – it leaves each child feeling empowered and equipped with the skills and tools to cope with their grief in a healthy way. Created and funded by The Moyer Foundation, Camp Erin is the largest nationwide network of free bereavement camps for children and teens ages 6 to 17 who have experienced the death of someone close to them.

Camp Erin affiliate Kansas City Hospice has announced limited openings at its third annual free camp scheduled for June 8-10, 2012, at the Heartland Center in Parkville, Mo.

Camp Erin is a weekend filled with traditional, fun, camp activities combined with grief education and emotional support – facilitated by grief professionals and trained volunteers. Children are comforted knowing that there are other children who have experienced similar situations and understand exactly what they are going through.

"Camp Erin is an important resource for our community,” said Lisa Farmer, Camp Director, Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care. “Children often do not have an avenue to express their grief or to honor and remember the person they lost. Through a variety of activities including drama, arts and crafts, music, creative writing and physical activities, children have the opportunity to address and legitimize their feelings while memorializing the ones they’ve lost.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 2,000 youth in the Kansas City area alone are living in a single-family household because of the death of one parent. One out of every 20 children ages 15 and younger will suffer the loss of one or both parents. These statistics don’t account for the additional number of children who lose a parental figure, such as a grandparent or other relative that provides care.

The Moyer Foundation was founded in 2000 by World Series champion pitcher Jamie Moyer, currently playing for the Colorado Rockies, and his wife, Karen. The Foundation achieved a major milestone this spring when it expanded the national Camp Erin network to include a camp in every Major League Baseball city.

Limited spaces at Camp Erin are still available. For more information, visit www.kchospice.org or call 816.363.2600.

For more information on Camp Erin and general information on The Moyer Foundation visit www.moyerfoundation.org.

Editor’s note: For privacy reasons, there is limited media access to the camp itself, but under certain ground rules media can visit. For more information, contact Kenyon Delk, 816.276.2632, kanderson-delk@att.net.

Co-founder Karen Moyer is available to speak to media through prior arrangement with Jeff Blumenfeld, 203.655 .1600, jeff@blumenfeldpr.com.

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