Camp Bridges earns heartfelt recommendations

As the deadline approaches to register for Camp Bridges this year, some parents are recommending Westman residents consider applying to send their kids to the weekend camp.

Children between the ages of seven and 15 who are grieving the death of someone significant in their lives can be signed up for Camp Bridges until April 7.

The camp in Austin, organized by Prairie Mountain Health, aims to give children a chance to explore the grieving process while participating in activities like zip lining, archery, horseback riding and hiking.

“I definitely, definitely recommend it,” said Taryn Stinson-Tuttle, a Brandon mother who sent her daughter in 2019.

“It’s just like a typical camp, it’s just there’s little things in there — that they’re all there for the same reason.”

When Stinson-Tuttle decided to apply for the camp, her daughter was dealing with the loss of a cherished grandfather, who had provided child care, helped her with horse riding and played a major role in the family.

The experience helped her daughter gain perspective and make connections with other kids about grief and loss, Stinson-Tuttle said. Her daughter made a pillow fashioned with a semi-truck in one exercise to remember her grandfather, who was a trucker.

“I feel like she came back so much better, like more able to handle it, realizing there was other kids that were going through the same thing,” Stinson-Tuttle said. “I definitely noticed change.”

The camp still serves that role as it returns for its 18th year. It runs from June 5-7 with the help of volunteers and accepts up to 40 children. It is free to attend.

Brandon resident Tracy Solomon told the Sun that her son was 12 when he attended camp. Solomon did not notice any breakthroughs in her son, who she registered to help deal with the death of his father.

“I don’t know if it ‘did anything’ as he didn’t grieve when his father passed away,” Solomon said on Thursday. “But he did talk about what sorts of things they did, as far as activities and such, and he seemed to like going there.”

She said she still thinks it was a worthwhile experience even without any significant breakthrough.

“The programs are great — they keep the kids occupied with activities and such,” Solomon said. “It’s a great opportunity for meeting peers, helping in sharing the grief and holding each other up, making connections.”

The connections were also a takeaway for Nicole Green, a mother in Reston who sent three children to the camp. She told the Sun the camp is an amazing resource for families.

“I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a child that has experienced loss, because my kids had a lot of fun and met some great people,” Green told the Sun. “They still talk about it a year later.”

She added that the experience helped bridge a gap for her children, who have few peers to relate to about loss.

“I liked that my kids had a chance to meet other kids who are living with grief because we live in a small town and they don’t have many kids around them that are dealing with the issues they are,” Green said. “People who understand … grief because they are going through it as well, it makes you feel less alone and more supported.”

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com