(News release) – A Northwest Missouri State University faculty member and students are collaborating to offer a day camp this summer to help children in the region who may be coping with grief and loss.

Elizabeth Dimmitt, a senior instructor of psychology at Northwest, said she felt compelled to organize the camp after noticing a local need to assist grieving children and a gap in community resources available to meet the need. Dimmitt decided to offer the camp in Maryville after attending conferences where counselors and psychologists presented positive outcomes of similar camps.

“We have many kids who have lost a parent or grandparent to death or incarceration or may be involved with the foster system, but we also have kids who have lost a home or have gone through significant moves or have lost a sibling or a friend,” Dimmitt said. “This can leave children feeling confused and alone, even in the midst of loving family and friends. It is important that they have a place where they feel safe in expressing their emotions, seeing that others navigating a similar experience and we also want them to know that they are allowed to have fun again.”

The camp is designed to help children establish friendships and a sense of belonging, Dimmitt said. It will help them explore feelings of grief while helping them develop skills to cope with those emotions. The camp also will offer some educational resources for parents and caregivers.

Campers will gather each day at the Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area (MOERA), a 320-acre parcel of land at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park that is operated by Northwest’s School of Health Science and Wellness and provides a variety of outdoor education and recreation opportunities. Campers will participate in activities involving nature, music, art and games; older children will use MOERA’s ropes challenge course.

The camp experience is one day and will operate on three separate days to accommodate varied age groups – Wednesday, July 19, for 5 to 8 year-olds; Thursday, July 20, for 9 to 12-year-olds; and Friday, July 21 for 13 to 17 year-olds.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and the cost to register is $25 per person.

For more information about the camp or to offer assistance, contact Dimmitt at 660.562.1852 or [email protected].