NEIHART — For more than 30 years, Benefis Health System has been helping children cope with grief through a weeklong retreat at Camp Rotary in the Little Belt Mountains near Niehart.
Camp Francis offers kids arts and crafts, outdoor activities, and — perhaps most importantly — a community of peers who understand what they are going through.
(WATCH: Camp Francis helps grieving kids heal in the Little Belt Mountains near Niehart)
For 10-year-old Lakelyn Riggin, who has dealt with the loss of both parents, the camp has been a place to heal.
"I mean, I've made a lot of friends, and I just. I just love having someone to talk to," Lakelyn said.
Lakelyn, who recently celebrated a birthday, said she has a favorite part of camp.
"Probably the candle ceremony thing. I don't know, it just gives me a good cry," Lakelyn said.
Organizers say it is important for kids to know they are not going through their grief alone. Clinical psychologist and longtime Camp Francis supporter Chris Southall said the week at camp can have a lasting impact.
"I would often tell my clients, I could say, you know, you could you could bring your kid to see me for about a year. You could come to Camp Francis for a week, and you'll get about the same kind of impact," Southall said.
Camp Francis was founded by Carol Holoboff, a nurse whose son Francis died three years before the first camp. The camp takes place each year during the week after Father's Day, and many volunteers put in standing vacation requests to attend.
Many of those counselors and volunteers are former campers themselves — including 16-year-old sisters Calaya and Kaleah Brown-Sturgis, who lost their grandfather when they were 12.
"At the time, my grief was like I was in shock, and I wasn't really feeling all the emotions yet, but, coming here had helped me. Camp Director Kathy Van Tighem helped me learn that that's a part of grief is shock," Calaya said.
"It was just very impactful the first time. And I want to make sure that kids feel it's okay to accept their feelings and also understand their grief as a whole," Kaleah said.
Southall recalled a moment that captures what Camp Francis means to the families it serves.
"One of the stories I remember, when, this this father came up and he shook my hand at the end of the day and he said, since, my daughter's grandmother died, we haven't seen her smile in six months. We walked up and she was coming out of the bathroom with this giant smile on her face," Southall said.
Lakelyn is already thinking about how she can one day give back to future campers.
"I kind of want to make a book here about grief. I'm going to start the idea this year, and then I'm going to do some of the illustrating next year. Then one day I will read it to the other kids when I'm a volunteer," Lakelyn said.
