Big Feelings for Young Camp Francis Campers
“Scared.” “Guilty.” “Lonely.” “Confused. “Teased.” “Jealous.” “Ashamed.” “Sick.”
As Camp Francis campers shared the feelings they’d experienced after losing a loved one, they added the tangible representation of that feeling – a rock – into a trunk, the camp’s “suitcase of feelings.”
“How would it be to go through life carrying all this?” Chris Southall, a clinical psychologist and camp grief facilitator, asked campers as they took turns trying to move the heavy trunk.
Cruze Bimler, an 11-year-old who lost his dad, and Bryley Schaak, a 12-year-old grieving his grandpa, teamed up to try to lift the suitcase. Both are veteran campers with aspirations to return as volunteers.
“With our grief, sometimes it takes a team to carry it,” Chris said. “This is really heavy.”
After the campers talked through heathy copies strategies such as journaling, music, crying, therapy, art, play, and hugs, they unloaded some of the rocks.
“I’m taking out regret.” “I’m taking out the teasing.” “I’m taking out depression.” “I’m taking out the shame.”
“We never get our suitcase of grief fully unpacked. Even 10 years later you might have a grief attacks, but it gets easier to carry,” Chris said. “As we unpack our suitcases it gets easier to move through life.”
In June, Benefis Peace Hospice’s beloved Camp Francis marked 32 years of providing a sanctuary for children who have lost a loved one. Ceremonies, time in nature, conversations with people who understand, and s’mores around the campfire all help with healing. Because of donor support, no family must pay to take part in the camp magic.
Stepping Into the Sacred Circle to Support Camp Francis
The birds sang in the forest around Camp Francis as Mary Pat Smith shared the story of her husband Jerry’s love for Camp Francis and how she’s kept his memory alive the last 10 years.
“Today and every day for me is about hope,” she told campers. “Having hope can give you courage and strength.”
Mary Pat has become the “bird lady” to campers, many of whom have growing flocks of bird she’s hand sewn with hearts made from Jerry’s shirts. Campers gave her hugs and showed her the birds they’d chosen this year.
“These campers are so dear. It just brings me to tears,” she said. “I think of camp as a place of miracles.”
Much of the magic of Camp Francis is in the community it has created through the last 32 years. Those who have walked with children on their grief journeys, those who have been campers, and those touched by the mission of the camp have developed two new ways to show their support.
The Sacred Circle Scholarship, established by Peace Hospice volunteers David Milkovich and Janie Ward in 2025, aims to provide scholarships for students who have been a teen volunteer at Camp Francis or attended Darcy’s Hope (the bereavement camp for teenagers) as a camper or volunteer.
Jerry Smith’s Camp Francis Memorial Fund launched this year to support Camp Francis operations, volunteers, and campers.
Mary Pat said establishing the new fund seemed like the perfect way to mark 10 years since Jerry died and to honor his love for the camp, where volunteering helped heal the hole in his heart from losing his parents when he was 7 years old.
Camp Director Kathy Van Tighem said Jerry impacted hundreds of children through his service.
“He said he shared a heartbeat with Camp Francis, and his heartbeat is still heart here,” she said. “He loved camp.”
Your gifts will make a child’s grief easier to bear.
Your support for the Children’s Bereavement Program at Benefis Peace Hospice helps the children cope all year long. Click here to donate.
