The rhythm of camp comfortably blends amusement and bereavement. Children bounce effortlessly between spirited games of four-square, meaningful arts and crafts projects and powerful “healing circlesSM.” The daily itinerary fosters tight bonds between campers and their “Big Buddies” as well as among the kids themselves.

HEALING CIRCLESM Over the course of camp, campers and their Big Buddies meet several times in small groups called “healing circlesSM.” Led by professional grief counselors, these healing circlesSM are forums for personal reflection, sharing, and attaching words to emotions. Each healing circleSM has a theme, from introducing their lost loved one via personal photos to exploring ways to move forward and cope on a daily basis with their loss.

BIG BUDDY Each camper has his or her own Big Buddy, who serves as the camper’s leader, mentor and friend. They are the child’s touchstone, participating together in healing circlesSM, assisting with arts and crafts projects and providing a listening ear, smile or laugh that their Little Buddy may need.

MEMORIAL SERVICE The pinnacle of camp, the memorial service gives campers a chance to share with the camp as a whole. Campers recite poems, sing songs or demonstrate their growth in other personal ways. Conducted before their families, the memorial service is replete with symbols — from the giant rainbow built by campers one colorful paper flower at a time throughout the weekend, to the personal messages sent aloft attached to balloons.

ARTS & CRAFTS One part symbolism, one part personal expression, one part fun — arts and crafts projects comprise a meaningful slice of the Comfort Zone Camp experience. Coloring mandalas that reflect their emotions, creating coping boxes that will help sustain them and memories boxes that preserve special memories, decorating stepping stones and planters all contribute to the healing process and give them tools to carry with them outside camp.

FUN & GAMES There’s no getting around it — kids at Comfort Zone Camp have a blast. So do their Big Buddies and the other assorted volunteers and staff. Whether it’s a game of four-square or kickball, an afternoon spent hiking, fishing or swimming, an evening with a juggler, or eating s’mores around the bonfire, each camp is chock-full of fun and games.

By the end of camp, whether campers notice it or not, they have been transformed, invigorated with greater insight, sustained by new perspectives and encouraged by new friends.

This transformation is the sum of many parts. Sewn together, magic happens.