We are joined by Andrew Weinman from Comfort Zone Camp. CZC is a non-profit organization that provides grief counseling for children struggling with the loss of a parent or another close family member. Comfort Zone Camp was founded in 1998 by Lynne Hughes, who drew from her experience losing both of her parents at a young age. She founded the organization in Richmond, Virginia, and it now the first national bereavement camp for children in the United States, and over the years has served more than thirty thousand children.
Comfort Zone Camp hosts weekend-long camp experiences, free of cost, for grieving children, where they can enjoy themselves and also meet with bereavement therapists to help manage their loss in a healthy way. CZC creates an environment where these children can meet peers who share their struggles and feelings. Weinman started at CZC as a Big Buddy, and worked with the children to listen and empathize to them and their feelings, and he has participated in many iterations of the camp. CZC’s Healing Circle Leaders are trained psychologists and therapists who are equipped to connect with these children and encourage them to share how they are feeling and how best to heal. Weinman says that he has seen immense transformation in children over the weekend, who in many cases simply miss having a parental figure with whom they can play and emotionally connect.
An estimated one in every eight persons in Tennessee will lose a parent before the age of eighteen, which makes Comfort Zone Camp’s mission especially vital. CZC’s first camp in Tennessee will gather at Camp Widjiwagan in Antioch, Tennessee on the third weekend of October, October 16th through October 18th, 2026. CZC continues to work to attract volunteers and reach out to grieving children who can benefit from this experience. Volunteers can also reach out on CZC’s website.