Pathways of Hope, the grief support center of Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, has offered Camp Pathways to help children who have lost a loved one for more than 25 years. Volunteers are needed to help support grieving children for the 2019 camp experience.

Like other traditional summer camps, Camp Pathways offers an array of active outdoor activities, bringing children and teens together to share memories, play, sing, learn and laugh. But how Camp Pathways differs from traditional summer camps is by bringing together children who share an experience of loss and offers them the opportunity to grieve, memorialize their loved ones and support each other. Camp Pathways is offered to children ages 7-17 who have lost a loved one.

We look for volunteers to serve as a “Buddy” for a camper of the same gender to help support them during Camp Pathways and provide a safe place for feelings to be expressed. To volunteer, you must be 18 years or older and are required to complete applications and submit two references. Helping professionals and those studying to become helping professionals are encouraged to apply. A background check is required and training will be provided.

Camp Pathways is scheduled for Friday, June 21 – Sunday, June 23, 2019 at the Camp Joy Outdoor Education Center in Clarksville, Ohio. Camp Pathways is open to any child or teen in the community who has experienced the death of a loved one, regardless of whether Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton services have been used.

To apply, click here and search for Camp Pathways Volunteer under current openings.

If you would like to sign up your grieving child for Camp Pathways, learn more here.

For more information, call 937.258.4991 and ask for the Camp Pathways Volunteer Coordinator.