Austin Hatcher Foundation plans grief camp for children

Helping families affected by pediatric cancer is what drives the Austin Hatcher Foundation, whether that path leads through survivorship or devastating loss.

For the first time, the local nonprofit organization at 1705 S. Holtzclaw Ave. is hosting a grief camp from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 28 for children ages 6-12, at no charge, to specifically address the needs of those who have experienced the loss of a loved one due to pediatric cancer. The foundation is hosting the event in partnership with Children’s Hospital at Erlanger.

“According to the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model by Judi’s House and the Jag Institute, Tennessee is the seventh-highest state in the nation for children to have experienced the death of a sibling or parent before the age of 18,” Susan Latta, licensed marriage and family therapist at the Austin Hatcher Foundation, said in a phone interview. “Here at Austin Hatcher, we see there’s such a need for kids to be in a place where they can talk about their brother or sister or loved one dying that they may not be able to elsewhere.”

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Latta, who has more than 35 years of experience in grief counseling, is co-leading the grief camp with Michaela Gaither, Austin Hatcher’s family services coordinator, and Ashley Zani, a certified child life specialist at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger.

Children who attend the daylong event will be divided into three age groups and will participate in activities under the theme: “Road Trip: Grief is a Journey.”

“Most of our families do come from Erlanger, but this camp is not exclusive to just those and is open to any child that has suffered a loss,” Tammy Gipson, director of clinical services and operations for the Austin Hatcher Foundation, said in a phone call.

Gipson said the camp’s activities are designed to help children learn about different ways grief can be experienced and help provide them with tools to navigate it.

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“We’re going to work to give them coping mechanisms that they can utilize after the fact,” she said, adding that Latta will also take time with parents to explain a little about ways to help their children increase communication on an often difficult journey.

Latta added that the grief camp allows children a space and opportunity to talk with other children who have had a significant loss in their life.

“We typically don’t talk about death in our society,” she said. “It’s just not something that easily comes into conversation, so for this opportunity for kids to be able to talk about their sister or brother or whoever they lost in a safe environment and be able to utilize different modalities from the day is really going to be a magical thing.”

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Events planned for the day include games and relays to ensure children are active, according to Gipson, and creative projects, including memory boxes and buttons with photos of lost loved ones. Latta said children who attend are being asked to bring a photo of their loved one who passed away that they will make into buttons for them to wear throughout the day.

“That way myself and other leaders can go up to them and say, ‘Who’s on your button?’ and that will give them a chance to share things about them and a chance to open up, normalizing that it’s OK to talk about their loss,” she added.

Other activities include music sessions with Walker Wright, the foundation’s specialized music therapist who works directly with oncology patients at Children’s of Alabama, visits with therapy dogs and a snow cone truck. Each group will also have an opportunity for small group sessions during the camp focusing on different facets of grief, Latta said, including defining what grief is, big feelings that often come with it and how to “map out” or cope when those emotions surface.

“Having done many of these types of events over the years, a lot of kids don’t know someone that had a sibling die, so for them to just simply be with someone else who has walked this journey and think, ‘Wow you feel the same way?’ it’s a good experience for them,” Latta said.

The grief camp is open to any child ages 6-12 who has lost a family member to pediatric cancer, and those interested can directly contact Michaela Gaither at michaela@hatcherfoundation.org to sign up.

Post camp, the Austin Hatcher Foundation is also working to continue its children support groups in the fall, according to Latta, and any adults looking for additional resources and support can plan to attend the foundation’s “Experiencing Grief from a Kid’s Perspective,” from 5:30-6:30 p.m. July 28.

“We want all of this to be a service to the families, and our hopes are that afterward, we can continue to work with them in our network and meet whatever ongoing needs may arise and provide that support,” Gipson said.

Email Brandi Dixon at bdixon@timesfreepress.com.