At Camp Comfort, Colorado children swim, fish — and grieve

EMPIRE The Owls were ready to climb after spending a mid-July morning at a small fishing pond in the Rocky Mountains My hands still smell like fish one of the Owls an -year-old named Jackson Dana commented He d caught two that morning Jackson fitted with a helmet and harness ran off to the wall but his twin Kacy lingered behind She and two friends huddled around a -year-old golden retriever named Rosie who lounged on the ground as they rubbed her belly I like puppies they are my favorite Kacy disclosed I like Rosie better than climbing She and Jackson started coming to Camp Comfort in Empire a mining town about minutes west of Denver after their mother died last year At camp the twins were among dozens of children who understood what they were going through who knew what it s like to only have one parent and what it means to grieve during adolescence Everyone attending Camp Comfort knows someone who died The summer camp s main purpose is to help children like Jackson and Kacy through their grieving process after a loved one has died by combining traditional camp sessions bonfires hikes with group sharing sessions More than children have attended Camp Comfort since it began in Mount Evans Home Wellbeing Care and Hospice oversees the camp which serves children ages to Camp can help children become relaxed with opening up about their loss when they aren t ready for traditional therapy Camp Comfort Director Ashley Collins commented The camp is such a natural space for a child she disclosed Kids are kids They want to play A reporter and photographer from The Denver Post spent part of a fresh Saturday with the Owls including during two sessions when the children talked about their grief to better understand how the camp works On that day Camp Comfort had set aside time during a jam-packed day of fishing swimming and rock climbing for the children to open up about loss The Owls the camp s - and -year-olds were scheduled to do so after rock climbing Kacy Dana right gives her twin brother Jackson specific encouragement during a climbing wall exercise at Comfort Camp in Empire on Saturday July Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post But Kacy was nervous to talk about her mom Over time I just knew to leave it alone she later commented It s just there We don t really talk about her The rock climbing drew Kacy s attention from Rosie as her brother reached the top in seconds I can do it faster Kacy stated before rushing to put on a harness and helmet Jackson took up the wall again He longed to beat his first time and that of his friends Jackson reached the top within seconds the second time but cut it to seconds after a third attempt You got this Kacy he notified his sister when her turn came Various rocks are loose by the way You got this Kacy scaled the wall and rang the bell at the top in seconds Do it again Jackson stated her Kacy s second attempt was even faster Twenty-two seconds Jackson explained Bro I ve got to tell the group that I m going to be screaming in their face A girl beat your time Jackson a girl beat your time by a lot Kacy replied Camp Comfort Director Ashley Collins fourth from left with arm raised talks with kids and counselors during a sharing session at the camp in Empire on Saturday July Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post I called her Mom The Owls sat in a circle in one of the cabins on Easterseals Colorado s sprawling Rocky Mountain Village Camp facility where Camp Comfort is held The Owls were among more than children who spent the weekend at the overnight camp in mid-July Camp Comfort will run a day camp in Golden later this week for families that aren t ready to send their children away for a weekend Collins revealed Kacy settled beside Rosie clutching a stuffed animal in her lap Jackson sat nearby Collins led the sharing session during which she requested the children to show a photo of their relative who died and to tell the group about them Jackson was the second person to volunteer He passed around a photo of himself with his mom at a Colorado Rockies battle Camper Anthony Toto holds a picture belonging to fellow camper Jackson Dana showing Jackson with his mom Stephanie at a baseball battle during a sharing group session at Camp Comfort in Empire on Saturday July Jackson lost his mother in and Anthony lost his father Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post She died of a rare autoimmune affection Jackson recounted the group And her name was Stephanie he disclosed when inquired by Collins But Jackson added I called her Mom An estimated in children in Colorado will lose a parent or sibling by the time they are according to a analysis by Judi s House a grief nonprofit in Aurora Several Owls mentioned they had a parent die One lost a younger sibling Others grieved cousins and uncles D-Angelo Tuggle known to the campers as D-Lo lost his cousin Za riyah Thomas who was shot when she was He wasn t alone other children commented they also had a family member who was murdered D-Lo and his cousin who he called ZZ used to eat vanilla ice cream with sprinkles and gummy bears together D-Angelo D-Lo Tuggle collects his thoughts while holding a picture of his cousin who died from gun violence in during a sharing group session at Comfort Camp in Empire on Saturday July Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post She used to stand up for me the -year-old described the other children But one day three years ago D-Lo woke up and his dad was crying ZZ had died he revealed D-Lo later stated it helped to talk about his cousin Sharing he stated was cool A death disrupts a child s life and can lead to poor outcomes at school according to the Judi s House analysis which explained grief can also increase the peril of other mental wellbeing problems including suicide or substance use The U S surgeon general has called youth mental strength challenges the defining inhabitants fitness emergency of our time as suicide rates have increased nationwide and more children statement feeling anxious or depressed Camp Comfort helps grieving children learn coping skills and teaches them that it s OK to feel sad or angry after someone they know died Collins noted We want them to express how they are feeling she commented Jayden Lewis right grabs a fishing pole during a Camp Comfort weekend in Empire on Saturday July Jayden lost his father to gun violence Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post Rap battles Batman and a sloth Jayden Lewis advised the Owls he saw his father murdered in front of him and had to call He also stated them that he liked to do rap battles with his dad Before he died he announced we d make a rap Jayden revealed They never got to but Jayden planned a rap performance for Camp Comfort s talent show later that night Another Owl Elleese Richmond notified the group her father died of carbon monoxide poisoning I loved how he d consistently make these funny jokes that weren t really funny she announced When she was Elleese stated I was really depressed A mentor noticed and petitioned Elleese for one of her dad s shirts and made it into a teddy bear for the now- -year-old Elleese exhibited the teddy bear to the group and communicated everyone how her dad used to call his car the Batmobile I thought he looked like Batman Jayden informed Elleese after looking at the photo of her father Elleese Richmond holds a picture of her father Scott during a sharing session at Camp Comfort in Empire on Saturday July Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post Kacy notified the group at the start of the sharing session that her favorite animal was a sloth What she didn t tell the other kids was that a sloth became her favorite animal after her mom died Kacy also didn t tell them the stuffed animal in her lap a sloth came from her mom s hospital room The plushie aptly named Slothy was given to Kacy s mom after she got sick Their mom used to show Kacy and Jackson her stuffed animals when they visited the hospital By then their mom couldn t really talk Kacy announced Slothy is her main coping mechanism Kacy mentioned She was too nervous to talk about their mom during the circle It s a little hard she revealed later Kacy Dana tests her archery skills during a Camp Comfort weekend in Empire on Saturday July Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post My dad is too sad Kacy and Jackson battled in what she called the biggest competition ever as the Owls took to the archery field after lunch Jackson scored points Try to beat that he informed his sister Bet Kacy replied Kacy was quiet but confident in her athletic ability She loved rock climbing and liked the camp s zip line last year but it was broken this summer She s a minute older than Jackson Kacy was also the Owls self-proclaimed taxi giving friends piggyback rides She kept in contact with friends she met at the camp last year Selected of them also only have one parent so they have a similar experience Kacy mentioned You kind of get jealous of other people she mentioned They get to hang out with a mom and I don t and it makes it hard sometimes At home in Aurora it s just Kacy Jackson and their dad She s the only girl living with all boys My dad is too sad to talk about it so my family doesn t talk about it to help my dad out Kacy announced of losing her mom Kacy wasn t ready to share about her mom but she was for archery Her first arrow struck the black ring on the target the furthest one from the yellow bullseye in the center I think I have to arch my arrow more and up the side she disclosed Kacy adjusted her bow The next arrow hit the blue ring an improvement She took a deep breath then fired a third arrow and hit the red ring Any better and she would have nailed the bullseye Her final arrow struck the blue ring again I got more points than my brother Kacy mentioned Jackson Dana left pulls a fish he caught out of a net while Anthony Toto right adjusts his fishing pole at Camp Comfort in Empire on Saturday July Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post Mixed feelings The Owls assembled in a circle again after archery to talk about their feelings But first campers needed to finish sharing about their loved ones Kacy went last Related Articles The Colorado River is officially contaminated with invasive zebra mussels Can the state stop the spread companies bid in Colorado s first greenhouse-gas credit auction criticized as pay-to-pollute scheme -year-old boy missing from Greenwood Village Man fatally shot by El Paso County deputies after fight Six wounded in shootings stabbing fight across metro Denver She presented the other kids a photo of her and her mom radiating after a run I have a bunch of her progressing stuff Kacy noted adding that she was given her mom s clothes Collins the camp director inquired Kacy what she missed majority about her mom Girl talk Kacy explained She and her mom used to paint their nails together I don t paint my nails anymore Kacy revealed The Owls announced grief made them feel sad They also felt depressed frustrated angry and afraid You have mixed feelings and you don t know what to show for emotion Elleese reported the camp director Collins requested the children to write a word on a piece of poster board that described how grief made them feel Kacy knelt and wrote three words She then sat back on the floor and hugged her knees and held Slothy to her chest She d written that she felt worried mad and confused Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter