Camp Erin, Camp Mariposa, and the Eluna Network's Resource Center

“Camp Erin is a national network of overnight grief support camps for youth grieving the death of a significant person in their lives. Camp usually runs from a Friday to a Sunday, so three days and two nights. It combines grief education and emotional support with all the fun, traditional camp activities you would hope to experience at camp.”

— Bethany Gardner

I had such a great discussion with Bethany Gardner and Molly Hasson at the Eluna Network for this episode. Eluna is a national grief support network here in the US, and they run both Camp Erin, for grieving kids, and Camp Mariposa, for kids affected by a family member’s addiction.

Some of the topics we discussed include:

• Eluna’s online resource library;

• Personalized support available free through Eluna;

• Camp Erin, for grieving kids who have lost a parent or other close family member;

• Camp Mariposa, a mentoring and support program for kids ages 9-12 affected by a parent’s addiction; and

• The New York Life Foundation’s extensive involvement in and support of Eluna’s programs.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Molly Hasson and Bethany Gardner of Eluna.

Links & resources for this episode

• Eluna’s web site

• At This Camp, Children of Opioid Addicts Learn to Cope and Laugh - NPR All Things Considered

• Safe Crossings Program & Foundation (Seattle, WA)

• Diane Ingram Fromme resources on stepparenting grieving kids - article for Eluna, interview with the Widowed Parent Podcast, book, web site

• Episode 33: Meredith Polsky and Arlen Gaines on autism and grief

• I Have a Question About Death and I Have a Question About Cancer, by Arlen Gaines and Meredith Polsky

• Episode 28: StoryCorps & New York Life Foundation

• Resources from the New York Life Foundation

More links for listeners

• Download: Kids & Grief: What You Need to Know

• Article: I’m a Widowed Mom: Here Are My 3 Tips for COVID-19 Widows

• Book: Widowed Parents Unite: 52 Tips to Get Through the First Year, from One Widowed Parent to Another

Thank you sponsors & partners:

Help Texts - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://helptexts.com/jennylisk

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

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