Latest news with #CampCourage
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Camp Courage teaches understanding life's end to those just beginning theirs
There's nothing like a good water balloon fight to clear one's head. Especially when your head still has bits of rubber clinging to it from your new friend's thrown balloon that hit you a few seconds earlier. But it wasn't all water balloons at Camp Courage Thursday. Held at Hendrick Hospice Care, the long-running annual camp each summer teaches children strategies on how to process the loss of a loved one. 'Our purpose is to acknowledge and affirm the reality of children's grief,' Adrianna Golden-Smith, camp director, said. 'Kiddos experience loss and the wide breadth of all that comes with that experience in small bodies but in large ways.' The week-long course is open to children who are entering the third grade to high school seniors. This year's camp featured about 40 kids. To process grief, you need to understand it. Camp Courage asks the children to explore the nature of grief, how it is expressed, what it can physically feel like and its relationship with guilt, anger and regret. 'We recognize that we only get five days with them, and then they go home and continue their lives, and their grief never leaves,' Golden-Smith said. 'So, we focus on sustainability — giving them coping skills that are accessible and portable.' That can be by using pencil and paper to write or draw it, as well as healthy physical activity to pull attention away from intense emotions for a mental break. Remaining connected to that lost loved one is also emphasized. 'I do have some kids that come back year after year. As they develop and grow, sometimes that grief changes with them, and so they've got different things that they need to explore,' she said. 'Or, unfortunately, sometimes life keeps coming, and they've got additional losses that they are also needing to process.' The program is funded by the Children's Miracle Network, and aside from a $10 registration, is free of charge to attending children. 'And I will waive that in a heartbeat if it's a financial hardship,' she said. Golden-Smith, who is also the bereavement coordinator for Hendrick Hospice, said the organization also offers a morning adult caregiver support group that meets Monday through Thursday each week. 'We want to give our caregivers the opportunity to also learn about children's grief and have a space to connect with others who are grieving their own loss and trying to support their kiddos,' she said. Courage isn't limited to one week in the summer, however. 'We also have other programs throughout the year,' Golden-Smith said. 'We've got a six-week children's grief support group that meets in the spring and the fall called Club Courage, as well as a holiday grief workshop for families. And then lots of adult programs as well.' Visit the Hendrick Hospice Care website for more information. More: When is the southside Braum's opening in Abilene? More: What to know about the upcoming 2025 Children's Art and Literacy Festival This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Water games help keep children afloat at Hendrick Hospice Camp Courage
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Topeka Fire Department to host camp for young women
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Young women in the capital city are invited to learn what it takes to become a firefighter. The Topeka Fire Department (TFD) is bringing back Camp Courage for young women. The department said in a news release on Tuesday, April 1 that this one-of-a-kind camp lets participants from age 16-20 get to see first hand what it takes to be a firefighter with TFD. The camp is designed to let young women explore careers in firefighting by showing them real-world training experiences. Campers will get to participate in hands-on activities like fire extinguisher use, hose deployment, search and rescue operations, rappelling, auto extrication and basic first aid and life-saving techniques from female firefighters with the TFD and other departments in Topeka and Shawnee County. Topeka council to consider $587M 5-year capital improvement plan 'Camp Courage was my first introduction into firefighting, and now I'm proud to serve as a Topeka firefighter,' said TFD Firefighter BreAnna Droge. 'This camp is an amazing opportunity for young women to be part of a team, challenge themselves, and explore a future in the fire service. I encourage every high school girl in Topeka to apply!' Camp Courage is free for campers; all that is encouraged for people to bring is sunscreen, a water bottle and a sack lunch for every day. 'It's an honor to continue Camp Courage for its sixth year,' said TFD Fire Chief Randy Phillips. 'Women are equally capable of excelling in this profession, and it's incredible to witness the growth in confidence and leadership that takes place throughout the week.' Applications for Camp Courage are now open. The camp will be from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on June 2-6. To apply, click here. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remarkable Women: Meet the women in Topeka's Fire Department
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Women are breaking down barriers in firefighting and proving that saving lives has no gender. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that only 9% of women are firefighters across the country. Five out of 244 firefighters at the Topeka Fire Department (TFD) are women. The four first women with the TFD started serving the Topeka community in 1985. Cindy Holt, one of the first female firefighters hired in 1985, retired in 2015. Since then, although it has traditionally been a male-dominated field, multiple women have gone through the academy, and many share their thanks to the first four. Topekan wins bronze at World Special Olympics Diane Hawkins, a former firefighter and current fire inspector, has been on the job for 27 years. 'They really paved the way for the rest of us to get on the job and be women in the fire service,' Hawkins said. 'You know, I give a lot of credit to them for coming into the fire service that was a male-dominated field.' As a firefighter, a second can be the difference between life or death. Since 1985, there has been a significant improvement in acceptance from fellow firefighters. They say they are treated with respect and support, not only from their fellow firefighters but also from the community. Alyssa Conway, a current firefighter with the TFD, often gets questions about why she chose to be a firefighter. 'It's always positive,' Conway said. 'You know you tell people that you're going through the fire academy or joining the fire department, you get some surprised looks, but I think those are the best looks because you can tell them what it's all about.' Kansas law enforcement agencies sign up to help ICE conduct deportations Although Conway has been in the fire service for only a year, the spark was ignited long before she held a fire hose. Conway follows in her sister's footsteps. Chelsea Reece, a training officer for TFD, will have spent five years with the TFD as of this April. Conway and fellow firefighter BreAnna Droge went through the fire academy together. Droge was inspired by her neighbor to try TFD's Camp Courage. Camp Courage is a five-day training camp for young women ages 16 to 20 who want to explore a career opportunity in the fire service. 'It's been probably the best journey I have ever taken,' Droge said. 'There are definitely the moments that are harder than others. It's an uphill battle some days but I wouldn't ask to be anywhere else.' For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Voice of America
26-02-2025
- General
- Voice of America
Preview: Camp Courage (S4, E22)
Ukrainian children living in the face of war become participants in a special camp providing psychological support and rehabilitation. Yuliia Kriuchkova, a psychologist working with the youth, spent 56 days under Russian occupation in Mariupol. As the children share their collective stories of survival and personal loss, camp activities and therapy sessions plant the seeds of hope for a brighter future. "Camp Courage" makes its streaming debut on VOA+ on Feb. 27, 2025.
