If you’ve ever doubted the power that a story can have on someone, think back to your childhood: when Bambi’s mother died we all cried. 

Even though she was a fictional cartoon character, we felt Bambi’s pain. As humans, we have the ability to feel things that we are not in fact experiencing personally. When someone tells us a story, the brain activity of the storyteller and the story listener aligns, due to mirror neurons, brain cells that fire not only when we perform an action, but also when we observe someone else perform, or even hear of, a specific action. This is why the company Netflix is worth $258 billion dollars.

Hospice Savannah has always believed in the power of story! Our Story and Legacy keepers have used story at end-of-life, to help patients to resolve unfished business, to help them to face their death with peace and dignity, and to help them to leave a legacy.

  

But with the availability of modern technology, story, the oldest form of communication and connection, is quickly becoming a lost art in our everyday lives. Things are reduced to sound bytes and snippets. Are we passing on our family stories to the next generation? Are we writing letters to tell others what is happening in our world? Or are we using headlines and pictures to tell the story for us?

2022 is the year for us all to be better! Learn how to be better through the science and power of story and help to support Hospice Savannah's at the same time.

Hospice Savannah's The Institute for Story will be hosting its annual conference April 24 - 26, 2022 at the Savannah Trade & Convention Center. Proceeds from the conference will support the Story Keeping program of Hospice Savannah. We hope you'll join us!

After a two year hiatus due to COVID-19, Hospice Savannah’s Full Circle Grief and Loss counselors and volunteers will facilitate Camp Aloha, a weekend overnight camp for children ages 6 to 17 years old, who have experienced the death of a loved one within the past 24 months.

These caring professionals provide therapeutic activities to teach the children that they are not alone in their grief experience. Campers enjoy swimming, sports, games, group therapy sessions, campfires, signing, playing, and making new friends who have also experienced loss.

Camp Aloha will run from the evening of Friday, April 29, through the morning on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Transportation is provided to and from New Ebenezer Retreat in Rincon, and camp costs are underwritten by community donations and a generous sponsorship from Southern Motors. There is a nominal $25 registration fee, which can be waived for those who may need a scholarship.

The applications for both campers and to volunteer are available on our website. You may also call Full Circle Bereavement Counselors at (912) 303-9442, if you have any questions.