Sponsor One 2021

I'M GOING TO CAMP!

I'm going to a very special camp where every camper is grieving the death of a significant person in their life. Camp Courage is a five-day, four-night in-person camp, and Camp Courage - Virtual is a five-day virtual camp for kids ages 6 - 18 who grieve a death. Campers get to experience the joy a summer camp setting can offer, all while connecting with others who understand the pain of grief.

Annie's Hope - The Center for Grieving Kids is a St. Louis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting grieving kids, teens, and their families. Annie's Hope provides free grief support services through 10 different programs to thousands of kids and their families each year. All Annie's Hope programs, including Camp, are funded by grants and donations, which allows them to be offered to families free of charge.

What Camp Means to Me

I am an Assistant Camp Director at two very special camps where over 170 campers have a broken heart because they are grieving the death of someone they love. Every camper feels sadness, but wants to feel joy. Every camper feels alone, but wants to feel connected. Every camper feels fear, yet wants to feel hope.

As many of you know, I started volunteering with Annie's Hope in 2009. A friend of mine mentioned this opportunity and told me I would be great as a counselor! Shortly after being accepted as a camp counselor, my grandpa died after being in the hospital following surgery from a heart attack. It seemed like 'perfect timing' and like something I knew I still had to do because my grandpa would be proud.

I have learned so much about my life and learned much more from the hundreds of kids and teens that I have worked with - more than anything you can read in a book or learn in a classroom. Please support me in continuing to provide this life changing experience to hundreds of grieving children.

LOTS of Love, Alicia

Why Sponsor One?

With your help and financial support, we can change the way children deal with the pain of their grief. By sponsoring one child, we turn their sadness into joy, their loneliness into new friendships, and their fear into hope.

Below, a 13-year-old camper describes her experience at Camp Courage after the death of her father:

“I am so glad I got to come because I met people who get what I’m going through…Everyone was welcoming, no one forced me to talk, and people listened when I wanted to talk.” When asked whether she would tell other grieving kids to come to Camp Courage, this camper gave a big yes explaining, “It was super fun while teaching me about grief at the same time. They’ll never want to leave.”

All funds raised by this Sponsor One campaign will directly impact the campers supported by Annie's Hope, who all have grief stories similar to the one above.

Please Donate

I hope you will partner with me on my Sponsor One campaign, so we can give grieving kids the support and hope they need.  My goal of $925 will cover the full financial value of attending Camp Courage for one camper. Together, we can heal broken hearts and help kids feel like kids again.

All donations are tax-deductible and can be given in a number of ways.  Online donations through this page or through www.annieshope.org are completely secure.  Credit card information can be taken over the phone by calling Annie's Hope office at (314) 965-5015, or you can send a contribution directly to Annie's Hope.  Please include my name and make checks payable to Annie's Hope.

Checks should be mailed to:

Annie's Hope

Attn: Sponsor One, (camp counselor's name here)

1333 W. Lockwood

Suite 104

St. Louis, MO 63122

Also, don't forget to check with your company about matching donations.  Many companies match dollar for dollar up to a certain amount.  This is an easy way to double your impact!

I hope we can work together to Sponsor One camper!  You can learn more about Annie's Hope - The Center for Grieving Kids at www.annieshope.org.

Thank you so much for your support.