Ketcha Outdoors is a year-round nonprofit organization in Scarborough that offers outdoor programs on a 107-acre campus for ages 3-15. Children ages 4-13 who are enrolled in programs at the Center for Grieving Children are eligible for the camp scholarship.

The center’s executive director, Gretchen Johnson, said, “Summer camp is a quintessential childhood experience, and when a child has experienced the death of somebody important in their lives, so much is disrupted, so much is put out of place, and so much feels not normal. The opportunity to be with other kids in a summer camp setting helps them regain a little bit of a sense of belonging and community, and that’s so important in their grief healing journey.”

The Center for Grieving Children is a nonprofit that supports families experiencing grief. Johnson explained that finances are often a challenge after the loss of a loved one.

“Not only is the death of somebody in a person’s life disruptive and confusing, it causes all kinds of just difficulty in organizing and planning and just sort of the logistical part of signing up for summer camps, especially when summer camps usually are full by January. The opportunity to join free of cost is really a barrier remover,” she said.

Ketcha Outdoors’ executive director, Lucia Stancioff, is thrilled to be able to help.

“Our community really recognizes that it’s a need, and that we all together really emphasize the importance of it, so I’m excited about this partnership because it really demonstrates several nonprofits coming together and saying it matters to us,” Stancioff said.

Ketcha Outdoors and Piper Shores have worked closely together on other projects and scholarships. Piper Shores, a nonprofit retirement community, is just up the road from the camp.

CEO Phil Jean said, “At Piper Shores, we believe community extends beyond our campus.”

While Piper Shores’ programming is designed for older adults, Jean said, “Intergenerational programming is really critical.”