Hoping to influence

Published 5:40 pm Tuesday, February 26, 2008

At left, Dana Presnell, coordinator of Camp Hope for Hospice of Limestone County, helps Clements High School students Alex Barbre and Morgan Early present a video to their class at Limestone Career Technical Center. The students were part of a team that helped create a video and scrapbook for the camp for children who have lost a loved one.

(Published Feb. 24, 2008) – When Dana Pressnell needed help with a project for Camp Hope, the first place she looked was Limestone Career Technical Center.

“I was just trying to think of other people in the community that have talent and a new perspective,” she said. Said.

Pressnell, who coordinates Camp Hope for Hospice of Limestone County, talked with Monica McConnell about her classes for the gifted at the tech school. She wanted to create a scrapbook and video to show parents during orientation for Camp Hope.

Hospice holds Camp Hope each summer at Camp Helen off Chapshaw Road to provide children ages 5 to 13 who have experienced the death of a loved one with a fun-filled day of activities and a place to connect with others who have experienced loss.

McConnell knew just the students for the job.

“We try to encourage the students to help out in the community and do community service,” McConnell said. “Hospice is a major benefit to our community.”

The tech school serves students from six county high schools. Each grade has a particular project for the year. The 11th grade typically works on a multi-media project.

Alex Kelley, Taylor Childers, Sam Easley, Mollie Malone, Morgan Early and Alex Barbre volunteered to help with the Camp Hope project.

Easley and Childers, both from West Limestone High School, worked on the scrapbook. They worked a total of eight hours each to build the 11-page book. The book includes a collection of pictures from the 2007 Camp Hope event.

“They can see how much fun it is and not be so scared to go,” Easley said of potential participants.

The book shows pictures of activities and counselors with children at the camp.

Early, Barbre, Kelly, all from Clements High School, and Malone, of Tanner High School, worked on the video.

They used the computer program Photostory to put the video together. It took about 10 hours for the four students to scan in, organize and put the photos of the camp into a slide show set to music.

“I like giving back to the community. They community is always giving back to me,” Childers said.

The book and video are ways to show that the camp is not about being sad. The parents and child attending orientation will be able to see kids laughing smiling, and playing, Pressnell said.

The students are also volunteering as counselors for the camp, which will be held Tuesday, June 10 at Camp Helen Baptist Campgrounds in Athens. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and complete an application process, which includes a background check.

Being in the gifted program and being sought to help with community projects, and being a counselor for the camp is an honor and great way to be able to be an example to younger children, Early said.

The others agree.

“I’d like to experience being with children with loss and help. I think it’s important to sponsor our future,” Easley said.

Camp Hope has three traditional activities that take place each year to help the coping process begin. The children complete a memory book about the person who died, which includes details about their feelings, reminders of fun times and how to celebrate their memories with the people in their lives. The campers also read the poem, “The Elephant in the Room,” by Terry Kettering and a book called “Jungle Journey: Grieving and Remembering Eleanor the Elephant,” by Barbara Betker McIntyre.

To find out more about attending or volunteering with Camp Hope, or other services of Hospice of Limestone County, call (256) 232-5017.

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