Knew Exactly

Like many of us during our teen years, *Charlotte was just trying to figure herself out. She was active in her church, and although she admittedly lacked self-confidence at the time, she enjoyed the performing arts. She participated in choir and theater programs at her school. 

During those critical years of self-discovery, a horrific incident interrupted her life. On April 20th, 1999, Charlotte became a survivor of a mass school shooting.

“It was a tremendously difficult time,” Charlotte shared. “After the incident, it was hard to function, and I had a lot of fear and other emotions I didn’t know how to process.” 

The adults and administrators of the school and community didn’t have any sort of precedent for what kids needed.  They sent them back to school almost immediately, in part to protect them from the extreme level of media presence.  Charlotte and many of her classmates were dealing with emotions that they couldn’t understand, and they needed time and space for their recovery.

Then, Charlotte was invited to the ‘Summit of Schools,’ where other survivors of school shootings gathered to support one another.  There she met survivors from the school shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and was invited to attend the healing camps that were taking place at Ferncliff.  She has been coming to every healing camp at Ferncliff since. “Ferncliff offered me a safe space to heal and connect with other students who knew exactly what she was going through,” she shared. “To know that other young people knew the feelings I was having, and understood them, was so helpful for me to start moving forward,”

It also allowed her to start having joyful moments again. “They gave us the gift of coming here to Ferncliff and being able to be young again.  To do those camp things, like make s'mores and sit around the campfire, was beautiful.”

Now Charlotte is a married mother of three children and enjoys life to the fullest. She has a promising career and is still involved in music and theater.  She's thankful Ferncliff played a part in her road to recovery.

This summer, Ferncliff opened its doors once again to survivors of school shootings for an opportunity to heal and reflect.  Charlotte and others reunited for the first time in about 20 years. “This is a place of healing, rest and reconnection.  Every time I am lucky enough to come back here, I just experience all of those feelings again.  I wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't come here,"

Ferncliff offers healing camps like the ones Charlotte attended because of your generosity.  Thank you for your part in this ministry we all share.

Written by: JOEL GILL Executive Director, Ferncliff in Little Rock, AR

*Names changed to protect the confidentiality of the person.