Detroit, MI, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via NGO Wire) Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow and Experience Camps, a national nonprofit that champions the nation’s 5.3 million grieving children, today released an inside look at a special event held this weekend at Ford Field. There, 13 grieving children met with Ragnow to tour the stadium, practice running lines, and talk about playing through grief. Each child has gone through the death of a parent or sibling, something they have in common with Ragnow, whose father died from a heart attack five year ago during his junior season at Arkansas.
“This was important to me because I am a grieving kid,” said Ragnow. “My dad died when I was 20, and the process was really hard. I've felt very alone. It was five years ago now and it gets easier, but there will always be tough moments. Today is about hearing the kids' stories and learning about what they have experienced.”
For 13-year-old Zachary from Sterling Heights, Michigan, it was meaningful to hear from a football star talk openly about navigating grief. “I liked this event because it felt different hearing a football player talk about his sadness and knowing he felt the same way I did,” said Zachary, whose brother died in a car accident. “Grief can really build up inside you. You need to release it to feel better. Hearing Frank and other kids talking about this makes it feel easier.”
Today, 5.3 million U.S. children are grieving the death of a parent or sibling, a number that has grown by more than 100,000 over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows grieving children are far more likely to struggle with their mental health, a drop in academic performance, substance abuse, and even their physical and financial wellbeing. With support, grief can lead to remarkable resilience.
“As a society, we’re generally not very good at dealing with grief or helping our kids address it either. So, even though there are millions of grieving children nationwide, most tell us they have never felt more alone,” said Sara Deren, CEO and founder of Experience Camps. “It is deeply meaningful to have a sports star like Frank Ragnow share his story with kids and show them that it’s possible to cope with grief. That’s so important because one in five children will go through the death of someone significant in their lives, which means that right now, every sports club and classroom in America likely has at least four kids who are coping with grief.”
Experience Camps, a growing national nonprofit, works to raise awareness of childhood grief as an urgent public health issue and to provide direct support to bereaved children through a network of no-cost summer camps and other programs that help children cope with grief. The special event hosted by Experience Camps and Ragnow, helped the organization’s campers engage in those difficult conversations around grief.
“Through events like this, we hope kids can find inspiration through play, peer support and a role model who showed them that joy in childhood can carry on,” said Deren.
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About Experience Camps
Experience Camps is a growing national nonprofit that champions the nation’s 5.3 million bereaved children and runs a network of no-cost summer camps that help grieving children thrive. By addressing childhood grief as an urgent public health issue that can impact children’s health and long-term success in life, Experience Camps is working to build a more resilient, grief-smart culture. It also provides no-fee, clinically informed summer camps and other programs for kids who have gone through the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver, with 65% of program participants from families below the national median household income. Since 2009, Experience Camps has empowered thousands of children with the confidence, skills and support to live a life full of possibility.
Contact:
Haleigh Atwood
902.635.4080
hatwood@purposecollaborative.com