Camp Lionheart

Camp Lionheart is a free, week-long, overnight grief camp where campers take part in swimming, hiking, sports and games, arts and crafts, and nature exploration. The program also includes campfires, cookouts, tie dye, movie nights, music, talent shows, a camp dance, s'mores, and creeking. Campers participate in structured grief and trauma-informed group counseling sessions with trained, licensed professionals, along with grief and trauma-focused therapeutic interventions such as expressive arts, creative expression, coping skills, grief counseling, emotion and affect regulation, healthy feeling expression, mindfulness, trauma-focused mind-body practice, internal resource strengthening, psychoeducation, emotional intelligence, ego strengthening, empathy building, and memorialization.

• Ages: 8–17 years old
• Schedule: July 13th–17th, 2026 (Monday–Friday, overnight), a free, week-long, overnight grief camp
• Price: Camp Lionheart is a free, week-long, overnight grief camp

Camp Lionheart is a 501(c)3 in its 20th year of existence. The mission is to provide a healing and compassionate space to campers as they explore their grief, teach and strengthen coping skills and healthy expression, build connectedness and friendship, and facilitate fun. The leadership team includes Clinical Director Kristen Santel, LISW-S, and Assistant Directors Danielle Weatherholtz, LPCC-S, and Elizabeth Cannon, LPCC-S. Program evaluation is completed each year to ensure it is working towards the best outcomes. Camp Lionheart 501(c)3 operates under Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio and is made possible by grants from The Zangmeister Cancer Center, The GPD Foundation, Boarhead, The Athens Foundation, Jocarno Fund, Solly and Sammy Foundation for Peace, and by support from Alison Rose, Project Linus, many private donations, generous families who are able to donate to the program, and other contributions and fundraisers.

Last updated June 27, 2026.