June is Volunteer Recruitment Month for Chameleon's Journey Grief Camp
- 24 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 minutes ago
June is volunteer recruitment month for Chameleon's Journey. For the next four weeks, we will hear from some of our beloved volunteers, learning their "why!" Are you interesting in serving as a volunteer at our Fall Overnight Grief Camp? Complete the volunteer application on the CJ website to learn more!
By: Jasmine Blue, MA, VIA Health Partners Grief Counselor
For the past four years, volunteering at Chameleon's Journey has become one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I serve as the Lead Camp Counselor for the “littles,” our youngest campers, usually ages 7 and sometimes 8. Every single year, I watch children walk into camp unsure, nervous, quiet, and not really knowing what to expect. Some are hesitant to talk. Some are trying to figure out if anyone else truly understands what they are feeling. Some are carrying emotions that are far too heavy for such little hearts.
And then throughout camp, something beautiful happens...
You start to see smiles. Laughter. Confidence. Connection. You watch children slowly open up and realize they are not alone in their grief. They begin expressing feelings they may have previously struggled to put into words. They build friendships with other children who truly understand loss.
That is why I continue to volunteer year after year...
There is something so powerful about watching a grieving child go from uncertain and withdrawn to confident and emotionally expressive in just a few days. As someone who works in grief support, I know how
important it is for children to have safe spaces where they feel seen, heard, and understood. Chameleon’s Journey gives them exactly that.
One of the most special parts for me has been seeing campers return each year. Some of the children I met during my very first year still come back to camp, and it has been incredible watching them grow. To see how much they have matured in the way they talk about grief, express their emotions, support one another, and understand that their feelings are normal truly warms my heart. Grief does not mean forgetting the person they lost. It means learning how to carry love, memories, sadness, and joy all at the same time. Chameleon's Journey is so much more than a camp. It is a place where children feel safe. It is a place where they can laugh without guilt, cry without judgment, and connect with others who truly understand their journey.
Even after all the sneezes, soreness and steps journeyed, I honestly would not trade this experience for anything...
If you are a parent or caregiver considering Chameleon’s Journey for your child, I encourage you to take that step. Grieving children deserve support. They deserve connection. They deserve spaces where they are allowed to let their grief be exactly what it is while learning healthy and meaningful ways to express it. And that is exactly what they will receive at Chameleon's Journey.
To learn more about Chameleon’s Journey Camp or VIA Health Partners, visit www.chameleonsjourney.org or www.viahp.org.
To learn more about Volunteering with VIA Health Partners, visit us at:
About VIA Health Partners
VIA Health Partners began as Hospice at Charlotte, the state’s first hospice, in 1978 and then operated under the name Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) for decades before its name change to VIA Health Partners in 2023. Today VIA Health Partners serves 3,500 patients each day for hospice and palliative care services. Our service area encompasses 14 counties in North Carolina - Burke, Catawba, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Polk, Rutherford, Stanly, and Union. Its service area in South Carolina includes Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union, and York counties.
