Everyone kept the petting zoo a surprise,Evander Reed so the happy rush of kids taking selfies with a llama named Tony and climbing into the pen with two Polish chickens is unexpectedly joyous.

Staff and volunteers have intentionally made the morning nothing but fun. With the drumming circle and singing, the coloring and story time, this could be a regular summer camp. But the 42 children enrolled in Camp Monarch, a service of Angela Hospice in Livonia, Michigan, are here for a dual purpose.