When Orpheum Theatre Group President & CEO Brett Batterson was a child, he found himself in a club he never asked to join. At the age of seven, he lost his father unexpectedly to a heart attack and joined other children around the world who experience devastating loss at such a young age. Looking back, he credits his involvement with the arts at such a critical time as a restorative outlet. Because of this, he started a different club for young people who have experienced the death of a parent. A camp that gives young people the benefits he received from his involvement in the performing arts.
Over the month of July, young people from across the Mid-South will enter through the doors of the Halloran Centre for the 10th annual Mending Hearts Camp – a performing arts day camp for young people grades 3-8 who have experienced the death of one or both parents. For 10 years, the Orpheum Theatre Group has welcomed 364 campers and hosted eight reunions. While initially brought together by unspeakable loss, these campers gain confidence, the ability to express themselves through the arts, and the opportunity to build bonds with other young people in a demonstration of the power in what it means to know that they are never alone.
Dr. Mekel Harris, a licensed psychologist and certified advanced grief counseling specialist (CAGCS), has served as Lead Healing Counselor at Mending Hearts Camp for the past three years coordinating the emotional health/therapeutic aspect of camp. Counselors serve as essential pillars at Mending Hearts Camp. Trained in mental health, they facilitate multiple “healing circles” throughout camp, which are small groups of similarly situated children facing loss. The counselors provide non-judgmental listening, facilitate meaningful discussions focused on grief and loss, and incorporate creative activities to help campers build a healthy grief coping toolkit.
“The arts are critical for children navigating loss, as they offer a safe and non-judgmental space for children to interact with complicated thoughts, emotions, and relational dynamics post-loss,” said Dr. Harris. “Further, it can be difficult to communicate the depth of pain experienced following the death of a parent, and creative activities afford grieving children a means to express complex emotions common in grief. Finally, access to the arts offers community, a necessary component for healthy coping throughout the lifelong grief journey.”
Garren lost his father in 2015, two years later he attended Mending Hearts Camp.
“I was struggling with grief because I lost my father at a very young age,” said Garren. “I didn’t think there would be a strong community like Mending Hearts out there for me. During my 7-8 years at camp, I learned how to cope with grief while also making new friends with people just like me. Mending Hearts Camp is important because it provides a community for kids who have lost a loved one, and it shows them that they are not alone in their experience with battling grief at a young age. My favorite part of camp was the talent shows because it was fun to collaborate with my friends to showcase our different hobbies and interests on a stage.”
When Makenzie was 10 years old, she lost her dad and grandmother. She attended Mending Hearts Camp grades 5-8.
“My favorite part of camp was getting to perform on stage at the end of the weeks,” said Makenzie. “Putting on a performance was scary but afterwards it was fun. What I learned from my time at camp was that there will always be someone there for you. Mending Hearts Camp is important because it teaches you how come out of your shell and express yourself.”
Mending Hearts Camp is generously sponsored by ARTSmemphis, Baptist Memorial Health Care, Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Advisors, Memphis Dental Corporation, SouthArts, SouthWorth Capital Management, and Tennessee Arts Commission.
For more information or to support Mending Hearts Camp, visit orpheum-memphis.com/mendingheartscamp.
The mission of the Orpheum Theatre Group is to enhance the communities we serve by utilizing the performing arts to entertain, educate, and enlighten while preserving the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education.
