Emotions run high during a weekend camp in Harrisonburg that helps kids who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

It was the 13th annual Camp Dragonfly, held at the Camp Horizon grounds. It's a special two day camp for kids, like 12-year old Aly Desper, who are grieving the loss of a loved one in their family.

"Every year we get a name tag. There's little hearts on it, one for grandma, grandpa and my cousin. That's the three people I have lost," Aly explains.

Through different activities like arts and crafts, music and sports, kids ages 6 to 11 are encouraged to express their grief in healthy ways.

"It's helped me get over it because at the bon fire we did, you hear everybody else. You're not the only one that's lost a loved one," Aly says.

There's also a memory center where campers can leave thoughts about loved ones, or even cast their worries to the wind.

Seeing the kids grow through this came is why Debbie Brown became the camp's director: To give kids a safe place to feel sad about losing a loved one.

"You can say what you're feeling. What you're thinking. And there's no judgment. Nobody is gonna say you shouldn't feel that way or that's not right," Debbie explains.

She says kids come back every year, some several years after losing someone close. The campers become family, even if they see each other once a year.

"I think Camp Dragonfly has touched a lot of lives, both campers and volunteers," Debbie says.

The free camp is held in Harrisonburg thanks to Augusta Health Hospice. Most of the campers are from the Valley. More than one hundred volunteers are on hand to make it a success.

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