Camp Releaf

Group Of Children Having Fun In Tent In Countryside

Every Spring for 25 years Duke University has sponsored a camp for children in grades K-8 called Camp Releaf https://dhch.duhs.duke.edu/sites/dhch.duhs.duke.edu/files/Camp%20ReLEAF%20Brochure%202015.pdf . It is a special place that deals with youth who have recently experienced the death of a significant person in their lives. At Camp ReLeaf children meet others their own age who have suffered similar losses. It offers all the fun of a more traditional camp while creating a safe place for young people to express and deal with their grief. The Foundation For End of Life Care has supported the educational and grief work of Duke and its Institute for Care at the End of Life for many years. The Foundation is not concerned about death and dying solely among adults; we are concerned about grieving children too. After Hurricane Katrina the Foundation provided a grant for a group of hospices in New Orleans working with the children grieving as a result of that hurricane. More recently the Foundation funded a grant for the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in New York for a project working with grieving and dying children. We also sponsored a teen bereavement camp in Palm Beach County much like Camp ReLeaf. We do these things because we at the Foundation care for more than the dying – we care for the children and grandchildren our patients leave behind.