Good Luck Camp Erin Chicago/Northern Illinois, Hawaii and Milwaukee!

Best of luck to the Camp Erin Chicago/Northern Illinois, Hawaii and Milwaukee teams as they all get ready for camp this upcoming weekend! With over 250 campers and volunteers all of us at The Moyer Foundation are excited for the smiles, friendships and support that will come from this weekend. We are thinking of you and all the grieving children whose lives you are about to touch!

GOOD LUCK!

10

Here are 10 ways to honor your father this Father's Day, and turn a scary day into a joyous occasion of love and remembrance!

 1. Take a special card to his grave - or to where his ashes were buried or scattered

 2. Tie your Father’s Day card or a special message to a helium balloon and let it soar into the sky

 3. Blow some bubbles and send him your love on the wind

 4. Plant some bulbs or a shrub in a place that holds special memories of your Dad - what was his favorite color?

 5. Have his favorite meal - fish and chips? roast dinner ?

 6. Listen to his favorite music - {however awful his taste was!!}

 7. Begin to make a memory box in which to keep things that remind you of him - photos, shells, holiday snaps, glasses, silly tie

 8. Make or buy a new frame for your favorite photograph of him - what was he doing?

 9. Ask your Grandma or Grandad for their memories of Dad as a little boy, and/or your mom for her memories of when she and Dad met

10. Write him a letter or a poem or a song. Maybe you could start with something like ‘If you came back for just five minutes, I’d tell you......’

Download the list at Winston's Wish

Good Luck to Camp Erin Toronto!

Best of luck to the team at Camp Erin Toronto as they head to camp for the weekend! More than 70 campers and nearly 50 community volunteers are all set for a weekend of making new friends, learning new ways to cope with death in their lives and most importantly.... FUN!!!

We are thinking of you!

Music therapy as a healing device

Ever consider music therapy as a way for your child to cope? Melina Roberts wrote about her experience as a music therapy instructor for bereaved children, and the great benefit it brings.

She noticed that children used music therapy sessions for:

• diversion and fun – to escape the grief that had impacted their lives and their homes
• self expression – to explore and express what thoughts and feelings had been evoked by grief
• an opportunity to ask questions – particularly questions about grief that the children couldn’t ask of their Mom or Dad for fear of making them cry
• an opportunity to remember their loved one – to express memories about their deceased loved ones
• an opportunity to speak about being excluded from bereavement activities – for example, when two children, a brother and sister, were not allowed to attend their grandmother’s funeral
• an opportunity to explore and express spiritual beliefs – opportunities to make music, sing and draw about what happens to loved ones after they die
• an opportunity to talk about the impact of grief – opportunities to highlight the past and the present and how grief had caused changes in their lives.

TMF's GIG Network is launching June 3rd!

GIG Network: GET INTO GIVING

A new way to learn about philanthropy and support The Moyer Foundation's Camp Erin - bereavement camps for children and teens

The Moyer Foundation will host a variety of networking events in 2010 at some of Seattle’s premier hot spots - providing opportunities to network, exchange ideas, and share common interests with your peers in a fun environment. Plus- you’ll hear the latest updates on Camp Erin and get the inside scoop on upcoming events and opportunities where you can get involved and give back -- in ways that work for YOU and your busy lifestyle.

Find out more about GIG!

UPCOMING GIG EVENTS:
First GIG HAPPY HOUR THURSDAY JUNE 3rd
ENJOY FREE APPETIZERS & GREAT DRINK SPECIALS
Meet new people and learn more about GIG and Camp Erin
There is no charge to attend
 TINI BIGS Martini Bar!
100 Denny Way · Seattle (lower Queen Anne)
4:00 -7:00pm
Show up or RSVP in advance to rachel@moyerfoundation.org

Cool website just for bereaved kids!

Winston's Wish is an excellent website resource for all aspects of bereavement for adults and children. 

They also have a special webpage just for bereaved kids! Here they can be apart of a community of other kids experiencing loss, and watch dvd's, ask questions, express their feelings, and so much more.

Check it out!

For YOUnG pEOPLE!

A guide to supporting young people through bereavement

Cruse Bereavement Care offers information for parents, caretakers, teachers, and military families facing all aspects of bereavement. Loss from a child's perspective, funeral homes, and activities are just some of the topics discussed on this website to help you address key concerns.

Supporting Children and Young People

more sources 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. Their website offers vast resources and information regarding the various issues bereaved people deal with. 

Here is their fact sheet and resources on helping children cope with loss. 

Overcoming grief step by step

A mother discovered a great way to cope with grief is to get outside and exercise to help restore balance. 

She also turned it into a way to help others.

Here is her motivating story!

Doctor hopes mother's suicide story helps others

As a child, the death of a parent can leave effects that last into adulthood. Coping with the loss of a parent by suicide can bring up different thoughts, feelings and questions for surviving family members of any age.

Here is the story of Dr. Nancy Rappaport, child psychiatrist who hopes sharing the story of her mother's suicide that she faced as a young child will help others facing a similar circumstance.

"Doctor hopes mother's suicide story helps others"

Helping the grieving child in school

This is an informative article about the various processes children might experience when they go back to school after the loss of a loved one. 

Linda Goldman, Certified Grief Therapist and Grief Educator, explains that

"Children's grief should be seen as an ongoing process that is approachable through words, activities and non-verbal communication."

She discusses each of these aspects, how they might appear, and how parents and teachers should approach them. Great visual examples are given, and an extensive book resource is listed! 

Helping the grieving child in school, by Linda Goldman

Fun springtime activities to help bereaved kids and families!

Spring is here! And it's a reminder of life and rebuilding as trees and flowers start to bloom. This new season can bring fun opportunities to incorporate activities for the whole family to help with the grieving process. These activities help preserve memories, aid in closure, and give a way for children to control the way they choose to honor their loved ones.

Take these activities outdoors for a new twist on family time and support, or let kids express their emotions in their own environment. Either way, these activities allow a healthy outlet for feelings at a time when kids need multiple ways to navigate bereavement.    

These two websites offer great activities for bereaved children, so be prepared to get crafty and enjoy the beautiful springtime!

The Center for Grieving Children

Winston's Wish

Some favorites are:

Making a Memory Box

Collecting items that remind children of their loss loved one is therapeutic and a great way to remember the good times they shared together.

Get outdoors! Collect items or take photos of the backyard, beach, park, or other outdoor areas where memorable times were spent. The outdoors provide wonderful scents, and scent is our most powerful memory tool!

Clay Sculpting

Get some clay and have fun shaping it. The process can be relaxing and a good medium to express anger and frustration.

Telling a Story

Whether it's through art or talking, it's important for kids to understand what happened to their loved one, and telling a story allows a dialogue to open up. Younger children might respond better to dolls or puppets, and older kids might prefer drawing to tell their story.

Scream Box

Sometimes  a good scream to release tension and get those feelings out is refreshing!

NEW edition of the Camp Erin Alumni Newsletter!

The Camp Erin team at The Moyer Foundation recently completed the Spring/Summer edition of the Camp Erin Alumni newsletter, the Blue Heron Reporter! This is a great edition packed with helpful hints and activities for enjoying the spring/summer months, additional resources and stories of inspiration for when times get tough. The goal of every Blue Heron Reporter is to keep Camp Erin campers feeling connected to the larger Camp Erin community by sharing camp highlights and stories from across the country while also offering fun resources and sources for support. Enjoy!

Jamie Moyer and Wa Wa celebrate the life of late Phillies' announcer Harry Kalas!

Jamie joined Kalas' family members, and Wawa executives and associates at the festive, baseball themed picnic held in Kalas' honor on April 13th. Kalas passed away one year ago, and Wawa honored Kalas in June 2009 by exclusively selling a book honoring his life: "Remembering Harry Kalas: Wonderful Stories from Friends Celebrating a Great Life."

During the celebration, Wawa presented a $15,000 check to Moyer and Kalas family member Julie Vanwey, which will be donated to Camp Erin!

Read more HERE!

Thanks WaWa for your dedication to helping grieving children in Harry Kalas' memory! We are so grateful!

Camp Erin in the Spotlight!

The Moyer Foundation's fabulous PR team at Baltimore-based Maroon PR is continuously doing outreach for The Moyer Foundation and Camp Erin on a national level. Here is a listing of recent Camp Erin media hitting all across the country. Whether city-specific coverage or from a major national outlet, all mentions of Camp Erin are helping raise nationwide awareness for the program, children’s bereavement and the important work being accomplised through Camp Erin in commuinities all across the country!

BIG thanks to John and team at MAROON PR! We appreciate all you do!

Camp Erin and TMF media are also posted in real time HERE! Stay tuned!


3/1/10: Denver Daily News

3/2/10: MASNSports.com – “So, do you like…stuff?”

3/3/10: BaltimoreSun.com – Sports Digest

3/3/10: PressBoxOnline.com – “Moyer gives back”

3/4/10: Daily Record Business Blog

3/6/10: Sporting News Today – Quick Hits

3/22/10: KansasCity.com – Sport Buzz

3/22/10: KRKO-AM “Health Matters”
CLICK HERE for interview

3/25/10: ESPN.com “Open Mike” Podcast
CLICK HERE for interview

4/11/2010: Baltimore Sun – Good Works

4/12/2010: Fox Sports Radio with Meyers, Hartman and Jacobs
CLICK HERE for interview