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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2017)
20 Wednesday, June 21, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon CAMP: Program is roller-coaster ride of emotions Continued from page 1 emotions. Over the next 43 hours, they are encouraged, supported, and nurtured by a caring staff as they give voice to their losses and learn how to incorporate them into their lives. Social worker Amy Foster-Wexler explained, “In our Caring Circle, we help the campers tie together the loss they have experi- enced with the strengths they already possess and the new tools they learn at camp, to help them with their feelings when they leave here.” In the Caring Circle, campers talk about emotions that come up and establish a vocabulary for what they are feeling. They learn that feel- ings are not good or bad; they are simply human reactions to what is happening. They learn breathing exercises to help them self-soothe when things get difficult, sad, or scary. Staff help them self- identify what works for them, what they will need to take care of themselves. Each camper receives a small leather medallion strung with three colored beads that represent car- ing, courage, and breath, to remind the campers of tools they have to help themselves through tough times. At the Friday-night camp- fire, campers each receive their own soft teddy bear to hug when needed. When asked what his bear’s name was, one little boy said he named it after his dad, who had died. Campers also receive col- orful pillowcases in cheerful children’s prints, handcrafted by members of the East of the Cascades Quilters Guild. New this year were beauti- ful quilts which each camper received, made by female inmates at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Saturday is filled with activities to help the campers unpack their grief, experience their feelings, and learn help- ful ways to cope with those feelings. There is a feelings fashion-show directed by Sisters resident Kit Stafford, one of the camp’s co-facilita- tors. This fun activity encour- ages the campers to dress up in ways that help to out- wardly display their feelings. This year for the first time they also experienced the benefits of yoga with Jane Burkholder, a yoga practitio- ner from Sisters. Saturday-afternoon art projects, led by Stafford, pro- vide two more opportunities for the campers to process their grief. Power sticks are crafted from tree branches painted and decorated with symbols representing the per- son the camper is grieving. There are representations of the person’s favorite things or activities they did, what they represented to the camper, and how the camper wants to remember them. The power stick, which each camper takes home, is a reminder of the power of love and the intention of remembering the person who died. Memory boats are con- structed using large pieces of ponderosa bark that will float. Using all natural mate- rials like pine cones, sticks, flowers, bird seed, and paper, each camper makes a boat in memory of their loved one. On Sunday morning, a procession of campers and counselors wend their way down to the shore of Lake Creek, while they sing about the flowing river and how “Mother Earth carries me back to the sea.” Each camper individually releases their memory boat to be carried down the creek to the river and onto the ocean, representing the circle and seasons of life. Following the boat release, campers gather to share their thoughts about the weekend while staff pre- pares them to return to their families. Family members arrive late Sunday morning to hear about what their children have experienced while at camp. The campers sing their favorite songs for the fami- lies and everyone watches a slide show of the weekend. A barbecue closes out the weekend and campers leave lighter, full of hope and memories made, better equipped to face not only their current loss but also those yet to come. As Stafford reminded the campers, “We send each other out with such good feelings in our hearts.” Music is a large part of the weekend. It helps accom- plish the transitions between the playful fun times and the deep moments of contem- plation. Cloverdale resident Katie Cavanaugh, who is the other camp co-facilitator, provides music. The music ties the whole camp experi- ence together, from the morn- ing wake-up on Cavanaugh’s fiddle to songs at meals and around the campfire. Campers learn the Camp Sunrise song, “Keep Me in Your Heart for a While,” which opens and closes the camp as the camp flag is raised and lowered. Cavanaugh told the fami- lies, “Your children can take the music with them in their hearts and minds.” Each year, the camp is an amazing roller-coaster ride of emotions, activities, fun and laughter, contempla- tion, new friendships, and tears. Campers discover they are not alone in their grief. There are others experienc- ing similar feelings of loss and sadness. Camp director for thirteen years, Sisters resident Diane Kellstrom, the Redmond Hospice bereavement coor- dinator, shared her thoughts about the camp. “I am always amazed, that given how scary this must be for the children to come to an unfamiliar place, alone, how quickly they open themselves to the counselors and support staff and other campers. How brave they are to share their vulnerability. They are just beginning to learn about life’s challenges that lie ahead of them and we help equip them to face those challenges.” “Every year I come with the intention to give of myself fully, and when I leave to go home I am so moved by what I have received from the children,” Cavanaugh said. Her thoughts were echoed Bring your physical therapy prescription to us! COMMON CONDITIONS WE TREAT: Back Pain Whiplash Pre- & Post-Surgery Shoulder Pain Vertigo Stroke Side-Eff ects Knee Pain Sprained Ankle Concussion On-The-Job Injury Headaches Sciatica 541-588-6848 by other staff and counselors regarding why they volunteer for camp. The campers seemed to like everything about camp, from the counselors to the s’mores to the candle-light- ing ceremony to the memory boats and power sticks, and everything in between. When asked what they would tell someone about camp, they responded, “You’re going to have fun. Amazing. Delicious food. Fun to have the chance to meet other campers. Emotional. Epic. Awesome.” One family member, who had two children at camp, said, “This is an absolutely amazing program. I would definitely recommend it to others… This is the best way for them to start their sum- mer… I’ll be looking at vol- unteering here in the future, and my son wants to be a junior counselor.” This year the camp was smaller than usual, with 18 campers. Some years there have been as many as 40. For those 18 campers there were 12 counselors, 10 vol- unteers, and six cabins, each with three campers and two counselors. Camp Sunrise was begun 18 years ago by Hospice of Redmond social worker Janet Whitney. In the early PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD Memory boats launched on Lake Creek begin their journey downstream. years, the camp was a collab- oration of Redmond, Hospice of Bend (now Partners in Care), and Pioneer Memorial Hospice in Prineville, but is now solely a program of Hospice of Redmond. Camp Sunrise is made possible by donations, grants, and the proceeds of Teddy Bear Tea and the sale of the Camp Sunrise tree at the Festival of Trees held every December. All of the monies allow the camp to be offered every year free of charge for the campers. Brace Yourself for Summer! $300 Discount For the month of June when you start a comprehensive treatment program! Not valid with any other offer. New Patients Only. Smile by Shanda and The Brace Place! 541-382-0410 410 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters CentralOregonBracePlace.com
