[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 121 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICA'S CAMP PENTAGON EXHIBIT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHELLIE PINGREE

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2012

  Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call my 
colleagues' attention to an art exhibit on display at the Pentagon.
  Over the course of ten years, for one week each summer, a camp in the 
Berkshires of Massachusetts became ``America's Camp.'' This camp 
welcomed children whose parents or relatives were killed in the 
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the 
Pentagon, and on American Airlines Flight 93. America's Camp was a 
place for these children to experience a traditional recreational 
summer camp--swimming, canoeing, and singing camp songs. But more 
importantly, it provided a peer-supported environment where these 
children could memorialize their lost loved-ones among other children 
who experienced similar losses. It was a place where the kids could be 
kids, without the label of being a ``9/11 kid,'' as was the case in so 
many other aspects of their lives.
  I am extremely proud of an organization in my district--The Center 
for Grieving Children--for the contribution they made to this special 
camp. The Center, based in Portland, Maine, has provided loving support 
to children and families during times of loss through peer support, 
outreach, and education. It has done so for 25 years and has provided 
its services free of charge for as long as families have needed them. 
The Center for Grieving Children has played a role in America's Camp 
since its founding. Each year, the Center sent staff and volunteers to 
camp where they provided ``Buddy Central,'' a drop-in center where 
grief facilitators offered support to campers.
  An annual art project offered children the opportunity to express 
their grief as well as their hope at camp. There was a quilt project, a 
tapestry of loss and love, anger and joy; a ``Sky Project,'' with stars 
from each child with their own tributes to loved ones; and the amazing 
``Feathers of the Phoenix,'' with feathers made by the children with 
images of a person they wished to honor. A collection of these and 
other art projects has been on display for the past year or so at the 
Pentagon.
  I encourage my colleagues to view this exhibit if given an 
opportunity to do so. The strength and hope shared by these children 
hold great power for moving us toward a more peaceful world.

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