MANSFIELD — Hospice of North Central Ohio (HNCO) recently received a Summertime Kids Grant of $2,500 from the Richland County Foundation. The grant will help fund Camp Hope, a bereavement camp for children ages 6 to 17 years old who are living with grief.
The Richland County Foundation began Summertime Kids in 1994 to provide special summer activities for hundreds of children in Richland County. In 2019, the Summertime Kids Committee, co-chaired by Foundation Board of Trustee members Julie McCready and Jotika Shetty along with members from the community, awarded $53,321 in Summertime Kid grants.
The grants of up to $2,500 were given to support creative, educational and fun-filled activities for hundreds of Richland County children.
Camp Hope takes place June 17 to 21 at Pleasant Hill Outdoor Camp in Perrysville and focuses on honoring loved ones, sharing memories, learning coping skills, encouraging one another, and just having fun. Activities include team-building challenges, small group discussions, arts and crafts, music, horseback riding, swimming, and zip lining.
Children ages 6 to 11 attend from Monday to Wednesday, and those 7 to 12 years old attend from Wednesday to Friday. Registration forms are available at www.myhnco.org.
“Through the years, Camp Hope has helped dozens of children in Richland County learn how to go on after someone they love has died,” said HNCO Bereavement Coordinator Kailey Bradley. “We are so grateful for this support as we see it having such a positive influence on families.”
Headquartered at 1050 Dauch Drive in Ashland, Hospice of North Central Ohio serves more than 200 patients daily in Ashland, Knox, Richland and surrounding counties with palliative and hospice services. Additionally, free bereavement services are provided for hundreds of families of hospice patients and anyone in the community experiencing grief.
Call 800-952-2207 for more information. HNCO is a community partner of United Way of Ashland County.
