Camp Solari

Camp Solari is a bereavement camp for children and their families – it is our opportunity to teach children healthy ways to express their feelings, meet others who are experiencing similar losses and continue life while honoring the lost loved one. This is done in a positive environment with some of the best grief and loss professionals in the country. The camp is held in a removed location so that the families can focus on the issues and not the day-to-day hustle.

Camp Solari is supported through donations and fundraisers and the charities of the Houston and Las Vegas communities. Attendees are chosen based on need and prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis. All weekend activities (including lodging, meals and materials) are free to camp participants!

Our Mission

Camp Solari strives to help kids and their surviving loved ones work through their grief to live joyful and fulfilling lives. Together with their families, these children grow and learn to express their grief in a healthy way while meeting others who have experienced similar losses.

“My goal is to assist in eliminating potential dysfunction in these children and release them back into the world to look forward to life with joy, zeal and enthusiasm,” stated President and Founder Gary Polsky, after his first bereavement camp in 1999.

Read what Bereavement Counselor Jerry Meyer had to say about attending camp.

Las Vegas

First held in September 2004, Camp Solari in Las Vegas offers participating children and families a tranquil healing retreat at pristine Mount Charleston Lodge. Within this relaxed setting, experienced counselors guide kids and adults through music, art and other fun and educational activites aimed at helping them deal productively with their grief. The next Las Vegas Camp Solari is scheduled for May 18-20, 2012. Deadline for application is March 30, 2012. For more information, call 702-870-0000 or e-mail Candis.Armour@solarihospice.net.

Print Las Vegas Camp Application

Houston

Houston's Spring 2012 Camp Solari will be held from March 23-25, 2012, at the beautiful Blisswood Bed & Breakfast at Lehmann Legacy Ranch, 13300 Lehmann Legacy Lane in Cat Spring, Texas, about an hour west of Houston. This 650-acre working ranch provides calm, peaceful surroundings for a weekend of fun and healing. Deadline for the next Houston Camp Solari has been extended to February 17, 2012. For more information, call 713-664-7120 or e-mail Bren.Hingle@solarihospice.net.

Print Houston Camp Application

Donate to Camp Solari

We feel a strong need to continue providing this therapeutic camp experience to all children who need it. Therefore, we count on you to support the Solari Hospice Foundation, one of the important Houston charities and Las Vegas charities that truly gives back to our communities in times of need.

From the counselors...

"Every weekend I am amazed at the changes I see families go through in such a short period of time. The connections they make with others going through similar experiences is invaluable in helping them deal with their losses. I believe we feel to heal. At Camp Solari, a loving and nurturing environment is created wehre healing happens moment to moment." -Holly Sack

"I have seen teens come on Friday night so scared and in so much pain, made worse by not feeling like they have a safe place to share. Then by the end of the weekend, they seem to have a new sense that 'things are going to be alright.' These young people are truly amazing at telling the truth, maybe in some ways even better than their parents, who've had more years practicing how to hold in painful emotions. I have been extremely honored to join the staff teams that come together to offer these servies, and am very grateful that Solari Hospice has the foresight to make this all possible in the communities they serve." -Lance Botthof

"It is so profound when kids connect with each other so they don't feel like they're the only one. [Camp] just gives them that space and opportunity to explore." -Gail Cohen

Gail Cohen and two Camp Solari kids

If you would like to help support Solari Hospice Foundation and Camp Solari, please send donations to:

Solari Hospice Foundation
8712 East Via De Commercio, Suite 2
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258

For further information please call toll free (877) 795-8760 or send an e-mail to foundation@solarihospice.net
Thank you for your support in changing precious lives!