Southwest Mental Health Center & Operation Render Comfort Will Host Day-Program for Military Families From San Antonio and Across Texas
Southwest Mental Health Center (SMHC) will host the second Operation Render Comfort (ORC) Camp for children and teens facing grief from the loss of a loved one in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The day camp will take place Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007.
All children and families who have lost a loved one while in service are encouraged to register by calling 210-582-6432 or by visiting www.smhc.org. There is no charge for attending the camp, but pre-registration is required. Space is limited. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, Oct. 3.
ORC brings bereavement and mental health experts from across the state to support children who have experienced a military loss. The camp consists of activities and games designed to help children who had a loss in the current wars, share their experiences, explore their feelings, grieve and find a path to comfort and healing. Parents also participate in workshops with other parents in similar circumstances and learn supportive ways to help kids through the grieving process. Children and parents come together in the afternoon to share their experiences and participate in bonding activities, including journaling, music therapy, art activities (memory boxes), ropes and more.
“Operation Render Comfort Camp lets children find their own path to healing from the loss of a loved one. Families have the opportunity to learn how children grieve and what they can do to help them through this difficult but needed process,” said Fred Hines, CEO, SMHC. “Everyone at Southwest Mental Health Center is proud to be able to extend a helping hand to those families serving our country.”
After hosting a successful first camp in March 2007, SMHC received a $10,000 grant from the Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD) Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation to extend its reach to more children throughout the state. Bereavement reports reveal on average six family members, including children, grieve the death of each soldier. Families from across Central and South Texas are encouraged to contact organizers at SMHC to inquire about assistance with travel and lodging arrangements.
Southwest Mental Health Center is San Antonio’s oldest behavioral health care provider and the only not-for-profit psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents in South Texas. The Center’s history reaches back to 1886, when it was founded as an orphanage for destitute children. Since then, the Center has evolved into a hospital, residential treatment program and educational training facility for psychiatry, psychology, social work and nursing programs. The Center provides a full range of behavioral health services, including acute care hospitalization, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, outpatient care, counseling and assessment, and it is an affiliated teaching hospital with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Operation Render Comfort is comprised of professionals dedicated to supporting children and families dealing with grief. ORC plans to provide education, training, camps and workshops throughout Texas to enhance the support available to families as they face the challenges of military and family life while in service to America.