Camp Druzy is an overnight summer camp in support of families with children who are grieving the death or separation of a close family member. We offer strengths- and evidence-based, personalized activities for the entire family that harness the power of nature, and children's' innate creativity, to improve resilience factors! All at NO COST to families!
Camp Druzy was named after our founder's late brother Andrew, lovingly known as "Drewsy", and also as a nod to druzy crystal. Druzy is a small geode formation with many crystal points shooting out of it, representing the unity of the collective. Launched in 2020, Camp Druzy has been held annually at no cost for low-income families.
The mission of Camp Druzy is to empower grieving children and their families to strengthen their resiliency and transform their grief in health-promoting ways. Activities focus on increasing resiliency factors such as confidence, competence, coping, sense of connection, overall well-being, and so much more!
Camp Druzy children and youth ages 5+ were asked to complete surveys before and after camp. For children and youth an avg. overall increase in self-reported resiliency scores was shown for all measures - especially for those related to academic achievement, positive coping skills, having role models, and feeling a greater sense of connection/fitting in with other kids.
Older youth ages 10+ were asked additional self-reported measures of resiliency – average increases were also seen across measures reported for younger children, especially for: “Now I know I can handle hard times”, “I can change important things in my life”, “I discovered I am stronger than I thought I was”, “I feel a sense of well-being from a connection with nature”.
For adults, scores also increased across all dimensions – even with a small sample size, statistically significant increases were reported for the following resiliency measures: “I can change important things in my life”, “I have a greater sense of closeness with others”, “Now I know that I can handle hard times”, “I discovered that I am stronger than I thought I was”.
On average, on a scale from 0-10, all youth and adults reported top-notch scores with how happy they were with their experiences (average of 9.5+/10). Families and volunteers have also ranked CHARM as a top-rated nonprofit five times since our founding spanning from 2019-2023! Visit our GreatNonprofits page to learn more.
Using a validated, reliable measure to assess adult (18+) self-rated global/overall wellbeing (which includes their overall sense of spiritual, social, mental, emotional, and physical well-being), adult participants reported an average increase of 31.3% greater global/overall wellbeing after camp with increases ranging from 13.5-50%!
CHARM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization strengthening resiliency and wellbeing for grieving families with children in Southern AZ through our Camp Druzy and Tapestry programs. We also support schools with SEL supports, training, and resources at no cost to them. Learn more and read our 2022 impact report on our donate page.