The surface of the lake was still, the air dense with humidity. The last fingers of pink and orange gripped the horizon as little flickers of light were passed down a line of two dozen volunteers. Each light represented the memory of a life. A person. Campers walked up, one by one, to light those candles, some taking to a microphone to share about the person close to them who died.
"My mom, she liked to take me to the park."
"Me and my dad liked to go fishing."
"My uncle was like a father to me, I didn't have a father growing up."
Only a few years ago 21-year-old Ellie Kroznuski was at the microphone, sharing a memory of her person, her dad, and lighting a candle to be passed down the line to be placed atop a raft floating on the still water of the lake. Her dad loved Star Wars and classic rock and tropical vacations. He died when she was 12. Camp Erin was a place where Kroznuski learned how to grieve. And now it's a place where she remembers and supports children and teens going through the same thing, in her role as a volunteer camp counselor.
"When I first lost him, I did not talk to anybody about it besides my mom and sister. It was so hard for me. But, it [Camp Erin] really gave me a different mindset where, yes, it's hard, but it's also important to remember the person and talk about them and think about them," Kroznuski said.
