The camp is held at Camp Ockanickon in Medford
This summer, Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association will present Camp Firefly for grieving children at Camp Ockanickon, Medford. This weekend-long overnight camp will begin on the morning of Saturday, August 26, and conclude on Sunday, August 27.
The overnight camp is free, and open to Burlington, Camden and Gloucester county children ages 7 to 14 who have lost a parent, sibling or any special person and are seeking support to help cope with grief.
Campers spend the weekend in a caring, nurturing environment with The Hospice of Moorestown VNA’s team of grief professionals and volunteer counselors, as well as peers who have experienced a similar loss. Traditional camp activities such as swimming, canoeing, hiking, arts and crafts and cookouts are combined with specialized bereavement activities designed to help the children overcome their grief and to cope with the loss of their loved one. In one particularly intense and moving activity, the children design and build small boats containing mementos of their loved one. After dark, these boats are individually candle-lit and launched from the shores of the campsite’s lake. {MORE}
2017 marks the twelfth year of Camp Firefly. To date, more than 500 local children have benefited from attending the camp. Applications to attend in 2017 are currently being accepted.
Additionally, volunteer counselors ages 21 and up are being sought to assist during the camp. Adult volunteer counselors will stay at Camp Ockanickon during the entire weekend and will participate in all activities with an assigned group of children. Junior counselors, ages 16 to 20 are also being sought to help out on-site during the camp. Younger volunteers, ages 14 and up, may choose to support bereaved children by working in the offices of Moorestown VNA, helping with a fundraising bake sale or preparing materials for the camp weekend. Appropriate training will be provided for all volunteers. Those interested should call the Volunteer Department at (856) 552–1300, extension 2165.
Camp Firefly provides a place to remember lost loved ones, and a place to heal. The camp is funded through generous donations from the community. This year’s major donors include: The Ellis Family Charitable Foundation, Holman Automotive, The Independent Order of ODD Fellows, Kistler-Tiffany, The John E. Kostic Memorial Foundation, The Messner Foundation, and The Stewart Family Foundation. For an application and complete information about attending Camp Firefly, or other available bereavement support services, contact Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association.
