A New Chapter

Our favorite day of the year never disappoints with the fundraising efforts to help grieving children and families. We are filled with pride and love by the end of every weekend. The generosity of our friends and families that acknowledges the work we do helping grieving families, is something Clay and I will forever honor and appreciate.

Clay and I are excited to announce an upcoming change for 2023. After a 13-year partnership with Stepping Stones of Hope, we have decided to bring the work we do home to Portland. We could not have asked for a better organization to partner with over the years, teaching us what it truly means to heal and help others. All the “heavy lifting” done at camp every year was not just for the participants; it was for our family in the healing process. Without Stepping Stones of Hope, Clay and I would not be the individuals, partners and parents we are today. For that, we will forever be thankful for the personal growth and what we will take away from working with SSOH.

Camp Samantha has found a new home at the Dougy Center in Portland where Camp Samantha will still be made possible through The Samantha Invitational. The heart of our mission and vision will remain: to support children and families who are grieving and to honor and remember Sammy.

After our February 2023 camp, Camp Samantha will transition to a day camp held at Dougy Center each spring. It will offer up to 50 children and teens who are grieving the opportunity to create art, individually and collaboratively. Art is an important component of Dougy Center’s world-renowned peer grief support program, as many children and teens utilize artwork to express their grief and hold onto the memories of the person in their life who died. Dougy Center’s trained staff support children and teens in the creation of their art to ensure it is a meaningful way for connection, processing, reflection, and fun!

Dougy Center’s mission is to provide grief support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and their families can share their experiences before and after a death. They provide support and training locally, nationally, and internationally to individuals and organizations seeking to assist children who are grieving. One exciting component of this change is the ability for The Samantha Invitational to impact thousands of children and families who are grieving. Each year, Dougy Center serves 2,500 children, teens, young adults, and adult family members in their in-person and virtual peer grief support groups, as well as training up to 10,000 folks across the country and around the world about children and grief.

We are very excited about this new partnership and the collective positive impact we will make together – through Camp Samantha and The Samantha Invitational – on the lives of children and families who are grieving. You can find out more about Dougy Center here: www.dougy.org

We want to extend a special thank you to Diane, Ellen and Gretchen from SSOH. Without you, Camp Samantha in Arizona would not have been possible. Thank you to everyone for the years of love, support and generosity. We are excited about this new partnership and will continue to do the work you entrust to us to help grieving families.