Camp Sunrise brightens young lives during a difficult time

When events hurtle a person headlong into the long, dark tunnel of grief, there isn’t always the support, time or space to learn how to cast a light into the darkness. For 40 Central Oregon youths, Camp Sunrise offers a place to nurture that light and allow it to brighten with time.

The camp, an annual affair, is sponsored by Hospice of Redmond-Sisters, in collaboration with Hospice of Bend-La Pine and Pioneer Memorial Hospice. This year, the camp was held the weekend of June 10-12 and took place at the Methodist Camp at Suttle Lake.

Children who have experienced the significant loss of a loved one — a parent, grandparent, sibling, guardian, or close friend — are eligible to come to camp. Referrals come through the schools, mainly through counselors who have been made aware of the camp and its purpose. Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson County children are all served by Camp Sunrise. Because space is limited, campers must have experienced their loss in the past 12 to 18 months and are generally eligible to attend only one camp.

“Our outcome is to give the kids the tools they need to deal with the stress of the grief process,” said Amy Jo Bellew, development coordinator for Hospice of Redmond-Sisters. The counselors are all hospice-trained volunteers, and most have also gone through bereavement training offered by hospice, she said.

Through a balance of deep and thoughtful times which explore emotions and reactions, and exuberant playtime the campers are offered the chance to take care of themselves.

“The kids don’t have to take care of any adults here,” said Tim Rusk, camp director.

For many, it is the first time since the loss that they are able to concentrate on their own feelings and have access to adults who have time to listen and feel with them.

Using music, art, and movement, campers learn how to recognize the different feelings swirling around within and are allowed to find ways to express them. The creation of power sticks, memory boats and movement exercises provides creative outlets.

A dedicated staff provided the guidance for these activities. Sarah Whipple organized the art; Kit Stafford helped create the movement exercise; Tom and Darla Robson provided the music; and Susan Strauss captivated campers with storytelling around the evening campfire.

The power sticks are walking sticks decorated with an array of items ranging from jewelry to feathers to clay figures representing a memory or aspect of the person being remembered. Their purpose is to allow the camper to feel strength through the memory.

The movement exercise puts movement that is evocative of the loved one, be it the stroke of a tennis racket or stirring a bowl of cookie dough, to haunting music, creating a type of dance memorial to the person.

With the creation of the memory boats, the campers gather together items that have significance to their loved one’s memory. In a sweet ceremony on the Sunday morning, campers have the opportunity to free the memory boat in the water. According to Bellew, some will do that, while others recapture the boats from the water to take home with them.

Weaving it all together is the music. Before each activity change, Tom Robson strums his guitar and gets his harmonica humming, calling the campers together.

A well-loved visitor at this year’s camp was Lucky, a golden retriever therapy dog. Owned by Dale Coats, Lucky was rescued from the streets and is a shining example of warm and unconditional love. He is trained to offer comfort without demands and provides a soft place for small faces to shed tears.

The campers come to moments of important revelation at different times; with some the impact isn’t felt until camp is over.

One of the most moving aspects of the camp, according to Bellew, is watching campers comfort one another. There is a wide age range, seven to seventeen, but all are drawn together by the unwanted, common thread of significant loss.