Overnight camp designed to help youth cope with grief

HOWELL, Mich. - A unique two-day camp in Livingston County is being offered this summer for children who have experienced the death a loved one. The camp will combine traditional summer activities with age-specific grief support for children and teens.

Ted and Jane's Camp Courage is an overnight camp and will be held Aug. 8 and 9 at the Howell Nature Center in Howell. Camp Courage is a collaborative effort of the Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospice. This free program is open to children in the community from ages 6-17.

Children can attend Camp Courage to participate in a combination of outdoor activities, creative arts and music activities. All activities are designed to help campers express and share their grief with peers in order to help them cope better. Campers also will take part in a special memorial ceremony to remember the person who died.

'Camp Courage was created to provide a caring, safe and nurturing environment where grieving children can share with peers who have had similar experiences,' explains Marie Peters, a St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospice nurse and camp leader. 'This supportive environment allows children to understand that they are not alone in their grief. We are so glad the Foundation decided to partner with St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospice. This will be a way for us to expand our current outreach efforts to the grieving youth in our area."

Gwen Haggerty, president of the Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation and the daughter of the late Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander recalls losing her parents: 'Losing both my parents has made me more aware and empathetic about others who have suffered a loss. For me, having an escape helped me deal with the pain, and I want to provide that for children in Livingston County.'

Haggerty concludes, 'I hope to address and expand on the need for an innovative children's grief support in the future. I am excited to be working with St. Joseph Hospice and their caring staff. I could not have had this camp without their assistance and guidance.'

For more information about Camp Courage, please call Marie Peters at 517-540-9010 or Kate Ritter at 517-540-9131. Registration is required, but the program is free of charge.

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About The Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation

The Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation is a private family foundation created in 2006 by Jane Von Voigtlander (1944-2007), wife of Ted Von Voigtlander (1936-1999) who was the co-founder of the Discount Tire Company. The Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation has set out to fund a spectrum of philanthropic pursuits, focusing its giving on Children, Health, Medical Research, Environment, Animal Advocacy and the Arts.

For more information on The Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation, please visit www.tjvv.org

About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a newly expanded health care organization serving southeast Michigan. Health coverage spans six counties, including Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy in Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy in Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, 119-bed St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron and 74-bed St. Joseph Mercy Saline. Combined, the six hospitals are licensed for 1,613 beds, have five outpatient health centers, five urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 13,000 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,400 physicians.

A member of Trinity Health, the nation's fourth largest Catholic health care organization, SJMHS is committed to providing a remarkable patient experience by using leading edge technology in a comforting and healing environment. As a mission based organization, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System hospitals provides approximately $100 million in community benefit to the communities it serves each year.