Special camp helps youths deal with grief

“Wonderful” things happen when grieving children are given space to work through their sorrow.

That’s what Barb Myers, co-founder of and board of directors member for Tamarack Grief Resource Center, says she’s witnessed at the nonprofit’s youth camps, especially at A Camp to Remember, a grief retreat for 8- to 14-year-olds.

“They’ve all been in their own individual grief process,” Myers said. “When they’re with kids at the camp, what they realize is everybody gets it.”

The other campers know exactly what it’s like to lose someone to death, she said. Moreover, at the camp they are allowed to deal with their grief without worrying how it might affect people they care about.

“There are no adults around to take care of,” she said, explaining that often children feel they have to hide their grief from parents or other loved ones.

Through a combination of fun and “a lot of solemn remembrance,” Tamarack’s camps allow children to work through their sorrow. While adults run programs and supervise kids, much of the healing happens in camper interactions, Myers said.

“Once they’re there, they get so much solace from each other,” she said.

Tamarack believes its bereavement programs play an important role, and the 501(c)3 nonprofit would never turn away a child who can’t afford to pay, Myers said.

For those reasons, the organization is hosting its annual fundraiser, A Camp to Remember Benefit, on Jan. 20 at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake.

The event starts with a no-host cocktail hour and music starting at 6 p.m. A sit-down dinner begins at 7 p.m. and a silent auction will take place throughout the evening.

The fundraiser also includes a live paddle art auction at 8 p.m. Wooden canoe paddles painted by local artists will be up for bid.

Nancy Dunlap Cawdrey, Carol Hagen, Sam Dauenhauer, Brett Thuma, Curt Shugart, Lorinda Smith, Kelly Apgar and John Rawlings have turned the paddles into works of art.

The 11 paddles will be on display before the auction at Wheeler Jewelry in Kalispell and in Whitefish at Glacier Bank, Whitefish Credit Union, Samarah Gallery and the Boat Club at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake.

Tickets are available at Wheeler Jewelry, 139 Main St., Kalispell, or by calling Wheeler at 752-6809 or Lois Wagner at 871-3767. Tickets also are available for purchase via credit card at www.tamarackgriefresourcecenter.org.

The cost is $75 per person, $140 per couple or $1,000 for a table of eight.

Those who can’t attend the event may still participate, Myers said. If they will call Myers on her cell phone, (406) 249-2196, they will receive a number that they can use to bid during the auction.

“Someone will make the bidding for them,” she said.

Last year’s dinner and auction raised $10,000, Myers said. “We’re hoping to do even better this year.”

While A Camp to Remember, Tamarack’s capstone program, will be the auction’s primary beneficiary, proceeds will benefit all of Tamarack’s programs.

The nonprofit has offices in Missoula and Kalispell, but Myers said the bulk of the money raised will go toward Flathead programs “because people know their neighbors.”

In addition to A Camp to Remember, Tamarack’s Flathead programs include school and teen programs, a women’s retreat on Flathead Lake, school and agency interventions and grief consultations.

For additional information about Tamarack’s programs, visit the website or contact Flathead Valley program coordinator Carrie Thiel at 261-0724 or flatheadtgrc@live.com.