Our retreat is geared for families .. and we know that families come in many configurations and variations. Our programming and staffing levels will accommodate the needs of babies, toddlers, children, youth and adults of all ages. Please note that children and youth are not permitted to attend Camp Kerry without a guardian or adult family member. On occasion adults/adult family members do attend Camp Kerry without children, but if this is your situation, please contact our office first for a discussion with one of our staff. Our goal in talking with you is always to ensure that a Camp Kerry retreat will be the best resource and best possible fit for you and your family at this moment in time.

Our family retreats are intensive experiences and can be overwhelming for those in the very early days and weeks after a loss. We highly recommend that you not attend a Camp until a minimum of three or four months past the date of your loved one’s death. Some people are not ready to come to Camp in their first year at all, but find it very helpful in their second or even third year of grieving. There is no exact formula or timetable as each one of us moves in different ways and at a different pace through our grief process. If you are unsure of what to expect and whether the specific timing of a retreat will suit your family, we encourage you to call our office directly for a further discussion with one of our staff.

Camp Kerry will be help in two locations this year; one near Princeton, British Columbia, and the other near Huntsville, Ontario.

A lot of people attend Camp Kerry for more than one year and many stay involved with our Society’s programs and services for much longer than that. We recognize that grief is an ongoing process that changes over time and that other life stressors and situations have the potential to add complexity and challenge to our bereavement.

At Lumara, we envision a world where no person ever has to grieve alone. We also understand that most communities across Canada lack adequate access to grief and bereavement care. That being said, if your prepared and able to get yourself and/or your family to one of our programs, we’ll certainly consider your application.

Alot of time, energy, and resources go into organizing these retreats each year, and our waitlists are extensive – we always have people who are desperate to attend this particular program. Our experience of people arriving late and leaving early is that it tends to be very disruptive. We also believe that those who are attending and supporting this program deserve to have the best experience/outcome possible, so we generally don’t make exceptions for those who wish to arrive late or leave early.

Upon approval of an application, we expect both our participants and volunteers to make a commit to meet the time requirements for this program. If things change, we encourage communication so that we can make room for others on the waitlist.

There will be moments to relax as well as times that are scheduled for meals, group processes (therapy, land-based healing), and outdoor recreational activities (canoeing, hiking, etc).

The accommodations at the camps vary from private rooms for new families and some of our volunteers to small cabins and dorm rooms. 

Three wholesome meals will be provided along with snacks. With all of our sites, we emphasize to our hosts that having good food is important to our programming. Most of the sites can accomodate dietary restrictions, and will provide nutritous food that appeals to both children and adults.

In order to achieve the greatest outcomes we strongly encourage participants not to bring their mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.) to any of our retreat programs. 

We also understand that some people may need access to their phones when it is time to return home. So, if you do need to bring your device then our expectation is that it will be turned off throughout the retreat program.

In an ideal world, we could serve grieving families all across this country without ever being concerned about finances. Unfortunately, there is little to no funding designated towards bereavement care in Canada, so we work tirelessly throughout the year to fundraise for our programming.

We also ask our participants to contribute so that we can sustain our services. For this program, we request a contribution of $800/family, which is less than 1/4 of our actual costs to cover accommodations, meals, therapists, and so on. Payment can be made all at once, or through installments overtime.

Rest assured, nobody is ever turned away due to an inability to pay, nor are participants selected due to the amount they contribute.

Camp Kerry is a community that cares and we would love for you to stay involved with us! There are year-round opportunities to participate in a variety of Society programs as a volunteer. We need help in several areas and believe that everyone has something positive to give back to their community when they feel ready to do so. For more details on volunteering or attending any of our alumni events please contact our office to inquire about volunteering with us.