For the past 30 years, supporters like you have helped Safe Crossings Foundation provide kids with opportunities to express their grief in safe and constructive environments. Grief support opportunities funded by SCF provide kids with skills and experiences that encourage them to realize their loss does not define them. It brings them together to recognize that while their loss is part of who they are, it is not all they are.
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about Reagan and Sawyer, two wonderful kids who have been helped by Safe Crossings Foundation and the programs you help fund.
One weekend Reagan and Sawyer went to stay with their grandmother, as they did most weekends. They were expecting a baby brother shortly and this was a time for them to spend with their grandma and for their parents, Cassie and Soloman, to get some alone time. While this weekend began like any other, it changed the course of their lives.
You see, it was this weekend while they were away, that their father Soloman took his own life.
Soloman was born with cerebral palsy. He was a mixture of old soul and comedy. A beloved stay at home dad, he loved to build furniture and most of all he was a great listener. Soloman also struggled with PTSD due to a childhood full of constant bullying. Soloman was in constant pain throughout his life, and his family later learned that it was this pain that caused him to kill himself.
Following this tragedy, a family friend referred Cassie to Safe Crossings Program, and her children began attending grief support groups. At first, Reagan and Sawyer did not want to share and refused to participate in nearly every activity. A few weeks after their little brother was born, they attended a Safe Crossings bonfire. This was the first time Sawyer opened up and talked about his dad.
Grief is different for every child. Reagan did not want to go to a kids’ group at first, but when she began attending one, she realized the other kids shared her experience. She and her brother felt safe because they knew people understood what they were going through. Being in a group of kids who have also experienced loss helped them open up.
For many kids, including Reagan and Sawyer, Safe Crossings Foundation-funded programs are the beginning of the healing process. They are taught life-long skills for handling the stress and emotions that grief inevitably brings.
Thanks to you, Reagan and Sawyer have a community of people to turn to when they need it most.
With your continued support this holiday season, Safe Crossings Foundation will be able to help even more kids in our 30th year. Grief is a lifelong journey and Safe Crossings Foundation strives to ensure no child has to walk that journey alone. Donate now to help us serve even more children!
With gratitude,
Karen Schrantz
Executive Director
