Camp HeartSong helps children to 'let go'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                
July 1, 2013
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:                                             
Rachel Nelson (512) 753-3616
rachel.nelson2@ahss.org
 
CAMP HEARTSONG HELPS CHILDREN TO ‘LET GO’
 
SAN MARCOS, TX – “My grief is like a river, I have to let it flow, but I myself determine just where the banks will go.”  Much like the words of this poem by Cynthia Kelley, Camp HeartSong helps children to let go of their grief and find peace and comfort with their loss.
 
CTMC Hospice Care hosted their 11th annual Camp HeartSong, a special bereavement camp for children who have suffered a significant death in their life. Forty-seven children aged 8 - 13 were selected to attend the no cost three day bereavement camp in June held at John Knox Ranch. 
 
Camp HeartSong provides bereaved children an opportunity to freely express grief in a safe, healing yet fun environment under the guidance of Abel Rodriguez, LMSW, CTMC Hospice bereavement coordinator and Camp HeartSong co-director, through support groups and expressive arts and crafts.   For example, campers decorated face masks and learned that it was okay to take the “mask” off and let out their feelings of grief.  Other camp activities include swimming, canoeing, fishing and hiking.  During the closing ceremony, the campers released paper boats with special good-bye messages to their loved one into the river. 
 
Camp HeartSong, Too!, an adolescent day camp, hosted five teenagers aged 14-18.  This camp is also a free camp to those who participate.
 
Lisa Adams, Camp HeartSong director and public relations coordinator with CTMC Hospice Care, states “It’s amazing to see children who have lost their mother, father, sister or brother through illness or a tragic accident hugging and comforting one another.  There are no words to describe this precious moment.”
 
Camp HeartSong is completely funded through contributions from the CTMC employee annual Seasons of Sharing campaign.  It is one of the most recognizable ways CTMC extends its mission outside of its main campus each year. 
 
Please call (512) 754-6159 or (866) 754-6159 for more information regarding CTMC Hospice Care, Camp HeartSong, or to make a donation.  You can also view www.HisTouch.com and click on Camp HeartSong.
 
 
About CTMC
The hospital, which originated in 1923 as Hays County Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Memorial Hospital, was restructured in 1960. The present facility was opened at its current Wonder World Drive location in 1983. The CTMC staff of more than 700 employees works with more than 220 active and consulting physicians to provide quality services to patients and their families.
 
In addition, over 200 community members and interns from area educational institutions volunteer their services to the hospital. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, CTMC was named The Best Hospital in Hays County. CTMC also added a certified Chest Pain Center to its ER capabilities in 2011, as well as a Certified Stroke Center in 2013. In 2012, CTMC became the first operating room along the IH-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio to be equipped with a da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery suite.

CTMC is a member of the Adventist Health System (AHS), a not-for-profit healthcare organization that emphasizes Christ at the center of care. Founded in 1973, AHS has quickly grown to become the largest not-for-profit Protestant healthcare provider in the nation. Today, AHS supports 43 hospitals and employs 55,000 individuals. AHS hospitals are comprised of 7,700 licensed beds, providing care for 4 million patients each year in inpatient, outpatient and emergency room visits.