The Role of Online Bereavement Platforms in Helping Grieving Children Heal By Cecilia Kennedy In the spaces of the Internet, grieving children are carving a niche for themselves. They light virtual candles, post their own artwork, and help each other heal. “They understand, quite naturally, how good it is to have someone listen to them… Read more »
childhood grief
Grief Services Changing Lives
The athlete. The class president. The math whiz. The kid whose mom died. Jennifer Cruz was that kid. “I was 12 when my mom died in May of 2007; I stayed home for a week. Then I went back to seventh grade and no services were ever offered,” Jen recalls. “I was from a tiny… Read more »
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
A stunning and relevant statistic for you: Of the approximately 2,150,000* people living in King County, 490,200 are 19 years or younger. A study funded by New York Life estimates that 1 of every 7 young people will lose a parent or sibling before the age of 20. This means more than 70,000 young people in King… Read more »
Grief is a Journey Best Taken With Others
Twins Damien and Ty were five years old when their dad died in 2009. The sudden loss of their father left the boys confused and worried. Their mom, Eva, knew the boys needed support. She found Camp Erin®- King County. “I had no idea how incredible camp would end up being and what it would… Read more »
The Story of Jayza & D’Juna
Recently Safe Crossings Foundation sat down with D’Juna Duhon and her 16-year-old daughter, Jayza. Jayza’s beloved grandfather died in June, 2009. After much resistance, Jayza accepted help from the Safe Crossings Program and attended Camp Erin. Jayza: My grandfather passed a couple days after his birthday and five days after Fathers Day. He lived with… Read more »
Healing through Art with 4th Grade Boys
“When I look at my art, I feel really proud of myself because I learned to take risks and I made things from my heart,” reads a quote on the Draw it Out survey submitted by Washington-state school counselor Alyssa Daniels. The quote comes from a child in one of the several successful Art with… Read more »
Types of Loss Series, Introduction
Loss, and by association grief, come in a variety of forms. Many think that loss only refers to death of a loved one or a close friend. But the feeling of loss can occur from any number of circumstances. Moving to a new city or country, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, developing a… Read more »
You Built It and They Came
Thanks to funding from our generous donors, two years ago Safe Crossings Foundation conducted a thorough assessment of child grief services in the Puget Sound region, identifying 14 current, viable programs. From that assessment came a wish from grief support providers to share learning and best practices in a local venue. Thus was conceived the… Read more »
Compassion is on the Menu
Imagine an 11 year old boy at a table of complete strangers, telling the story of what he went through after his dad died. Pretty brave, right? That’s exactly what Marcus, a Safe Crossings Program participant, did at last year’s luncheon. After walking into a room of 630 people, Marcus took his seat and cautiously… Read more »
Why Lee’s Story Matters
Meet Lee Carswell. Born in Birmingham and educated in Liverpool, England, Lee is a successful senior manager at the consulting firm of West Monroe Partners in Seattle. He is tall, lanky and has an easy laugh. This story has little to do with his consulting career. Instead, he describes a loving family re-constructing their lives… Read more »