SARASOTA, Fla. (October 31, 2024) – Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) of the Suncoast recently hosted a team from Good Morning America at its Camp Mariposa youth camp.
Camp Mariposa (“Butterfly” in Spanish) is a year-round addiction prevention and mentoring program for youth affected by the substance abuse of a family member. In some cases, campers have lost a parent to overdose. Youth aged 9-12 and teens aged 13-17 alternate spend one weekend every other month learning about substance abuse prevention and engaging in activities that build self-esteem and help them develop healthy boundaries and trusting relationships with others. JFCS staff also maintain contact with campers in between camping sessions to provide them with support.
Katie Kindelan, a reporter for Good Morning America, came to Camp Mariposa in August to meet with the campers and JFCS staff, many of whom attended Camp Mariposa themselves as youth. During one of the activities, Kindelan witnessed campers read their “letter to addiction”, where campers write down their thoughts, fears and frustrations about addiction in a letter. After reading the letter aloud (if they so choose), campers tie the letter to a rock and throw it in the lake; a cathartic process that helps youth gain closure from the pain they’ve experienced.
Campers also do many fun activities, like high ropes, horseback riding, kayaking and performing skits, just like at a traditional camp. Camp Mariposa is part of the Eluna Network, a nonprofit organization with a mission to support children and families impacted by grief or addiction. All program activities are offered free of charge to families.
“The children and teens who attend Camp Mariposa are exposed to many difficulties at home. Camp provides them not only with opportunities to learn about themselves and avoid alcohol and drugs, but also the chance to try new activities and just be a kid,” said Dr. Helene Lotman, President/CEO of JFCS of the Suncoast. ” Lives are changed every day at Camp Mariposa, and we are thrilled to have our good work recognized by Katie Kindelan and the team at Good Morning America.”
You can view the article published by Good Morning America here: More than 300K kids have lost a parent to a drug overdose. At this camp, they’re not alone – Good Morning America