Getting Over the Scare

(Photograph by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Many children are still feeling the reverberations of last year’s terrorist attacks, but this summer, the Little Heroes program helped at least 175 of those youngsters overcome their fears.

The program was held at Camp Mara in Putnam Valley, N.Y., and organized by the Catholic Youth Organization and the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation with money mainly from the Lions Clubs International. It was designed as a safe haven for 7- to 14-year-olds who had a close relative who died or was injured in the attacks or whose parents lost a job or had to move as a result of the attacks. Using music, dance, theater, and group counseling, the program encouraged the children to find a creative outlet for their emotions.

The camp was free for the children, with sessions lasting Monday through Friday. Many of the participants attended for more than one week.

Although the summer sessions are over, the organizations plan to continue

the camp into the fall and, ideally, to make it available year-round.

Patrick Sciarratta, head of the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, said he wanted the children to see the world as a place for opportunity, not a place to fear. “We’re not here to make this a gut-wrenching experience,” he says. “We want to build on people’s assets and to help people feel they can heal and move on.”