CORNWALL, Ontario – Rachel’s Kids is once again donating Ted the teddy bear to Camp Erin, a camp to help children ages 6 to 17 deal with the grief that comes with the loss of a loved one.
For the past three years, Rachel’s Kids has provided teddy bears for the campers.
“We have the perfect teddy bear in Ted,” said Kim Lauzon, Executive Director of Rachel’s Kids. “We wanted to provide a support system for the kids and that’s what Ted is.”
Camp Erin has grown significantly in popularity over the past three years and 42 children are signed up for the camp this year.
“Our goal is to bring children together and teach them that grief is a normal part of life,” said Michel Smith, Camp Director.
Smith said that Ted is at all of the activities and really helps welcome the children to the camp and begin the healing process. She went on to say that the camp is fulfilling a deeply needed service.
“We have parents who come back and say our child hasn’t smiled in months before they went to camp and they thank us,” she said.
Camp Erin is currently full for this year, but Smith hopes that when parents see the difference that it makes it will inspire them to begin a Camp Erin of their own in their community.
This year, Camp Erin will be at Rideau Hill in Osgoode from June 16 to June 18, Father’s Day weekend. A large number of children attending have lost their fathers.
