April 23, 2019
Fredericksburg, VA, April 23, 2019 - Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC) Grief Support Services held Camp Rainbow
at Motts Reservoir April 6-7, with over 50 campers and 30 volunteers in
attendance. Camp Rainbow is an annual weekend grief camp for children
who are coping with the loss of a loved one. The Title Sponsor was Sheehy
Toyota of Fredericksburg and the Site Sponsor was Fredericksburg Parks
and Recreation.
Camp Rainbow provides a path for child campers along their journey through
grief and toward healing.

Campers are paired with trained volunteers to explore their feelings through
age-appropriate crafts, activities and discussions. Expressive therapies
such as art, music and dance are used to assist children with their grief
and are balanced with traditional camp activities like arts and crafts,
kayaking and singing by the fire.
Camp Rainbow’s goals include helping grieving children develop a
basic understanding of death and dying, express thoughts and feelings
appropriately, normalize feelings of loss and grief, learn ways to cope
and create relationships with other children who are experiencing a loss.
“Understanding grief is important at any age but it is a key factor
in a child’s emotional growth. Developing healthy grief coping skills
early can influence the trajectory of their lives. Camp Rainbow is one
of the many opportunities for group support and grief counseling we offer
to children, teens and families,” said Ashland Evans, Director,
MWHC Hospice, Palliative & Grief Support Services. “We could
not do it without our staff, volunteers and the generous donations from
our community partners.”
The MWHC Grief Support Services mission is to nurture individuals and families
along their grief journey as they cope with the death of a loved one.
All services are available at no charge to individuals and families in
the community and are funded by the community through private donations,
fundraising events and grants.
Donations are accepted throughout the year. Please visit
GriefSupport.mwhc.com or call 540.741.1874 for more information.

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Mary Washington Healthcare
is a fully integrated, regional medical system that provides inpatient
and outpatient care through over 50 facilities including Mary Washington
Hospital, a 451-bed regional medical center, and Stafford Hospital, a
100-bed community hospital. Mary Washington Healthcare is a not-for-profit
health system with a longstanding commitment to provide care regardless
of ability to pay. For more information about our services and facilities, visit mwhc.com.