Camp Atagahi grief camp
Sponsored in part by:	In partnership with: Odyssey Health Care

Camp Atagahi application packet
Camp Atagahi Campership application

Dealing with loss

The experience of loss is universal. we feel it when we leave schools and friends, move to a new city, send children to kindergarten and adolescents to college. Each time we mourn a little, and we grow a little. We understand that these experiences are part of the natural progression of life.

Sometimes the natural progression is interrupted. A child loses someone he or she loves due to death, a loss incomparable to any other. When this happens, they must reach beyond the innocence of childhood to grasp life’s most profound lesson.

There is help

Who can understand and help that child? Family members certainly understand, but they too have experienced a loss and are attempting to deal with it. Friends care, but unless they have experienced the same loss, it is hard to feel they truly understand. Consequently, a child experiencing grief too often feels very much alone.

To help these children Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council founded Camp Atagahi at Wyandot, a place of healing and hope. It is a week-long sleep away camp for boys and girls, designed to help them cope with the recent death of a loved one.

The program

The program is 90% regular camping activities such as swimming, creative arts, hiking, canoeing/kayaking, nature exploration and outdoor living skills. Approximately 10% of the activities are structured to help the child through the natural grieving process. This combination provides a nurturing, safe haven to assist the grieving child.

Making a difference

Children stay in cabins with one or two adults educated in the grieving process. All staff receives training in listening skills, the stages of grief, and an orientation to Camp Wyandot. Certified professional therapists are in camp at all times and lead the small group sessions.