I was drawn to the mission of The Children's Room (TCR) and trained as a grief facilitator to work with support groups -- my first group was called The Sparkling Hearts and we met on Tuesdays. Soon after, I joined the staff and since I already knew many of the families, I made a series of videos about TCR. Over the years, I directed communications and fundraising efforts, and I now serve on the board. My passion for the life-changing work of TCR has only grown stronger over the years, because I have seen what works: grieving kids helping other grieving kids, and grieving parents mentoring other parents, and this truly helps these families. The programs, staff, and leadership all add up to TCR's outstanding record and impact.
-- Anne Fav
I first encountered The Children's Room as a client, following my husband's sudden passing in 2017. I was 42 years old and had two young boys at the time. TCR was a lifeline for my family for the few years following: it connected us to grief support resources, a community of new friends in similar situations, and a wonderfully dedicated staff. Our experience was so profound that I was eager to give back once my time as a client ended. I joined the fundraising committee and later the Board, and I continue to spread the word about the good work we do and the good people who do it.
When I told a friend I was looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity, she suggested The Children's Room based on her family's experience after their toddler died of a rare genetic disease. As a peer group facilitator for 5 years, it's amazing to witness the kids bonding and sharing in a safe space. I have such respect and admiration for the TCR staff and interns who are dedicated to creating programs and activities that help the families create community, learn, and express themselves. TCR staff are always looking at ways to enhance programs to best support the families. The yellow house is like a big hug that provides support and gives hope to everyone, families, volunteers, interns and staff!
We were introduced to The Children's Room by our family pediatrician when our younger daughter died suddenly in 2004. TCR offered a caring community and healing strategies to our surviving daughter (and us) as she learned to process her grief with others who just "got it." We were so grateful for that support during our darkest days and believe so deeply in the mission of TCR that we have stayed connected to the organization as volunteers and donors. We will continue to advocate for and support this nonprofit treasure.
I have been volunteering as a co-facilitator in peer support groups at TCR since 2002. The Childrens Room is an amazing and magical place which offers support to grieving children and their families at no charge to the families. It is a place where people do not feel alone. It is a place where death can be talked about without the usual avoidance in our culture. In addition to the invaluable peer support, TCR does outreach into the community around grief. It provides resources to the community and also runs support groups in the schools. TCR has enriched my life too.
As a 15-year volunteer with The Children's Room I have watched firsthand the profound impact peer based support has had on children and families who are grieving. The Children's Room is a very special place filled with hope, love, and community for families trying to manage the unthinkable loss of a parent or child. The staff at The Children’s Room are dedicated, compassionate, and selfless. I feel so fortunate to volunteer for a cause that is near and dear to my heart and to be surrounded by people who have chosen to help make this World a better place.
As someone who has experienced multiple losses during childhood and adulthood, I wish I'd had access to an organization like The Children's Room earlier in my life. Now serving in a government role connecting community members to resources, I cannot speak highly enough of the compassion and skilled care provided by TCR. They have been enthusiastic partners in supporting others during and after their most painful moments in life, always in thoughtful and inclusive ways that speak to the lifelong impact that grief support provides to individuals, families, and communities.
I came to the Children's Room way back in 2006 after losing my father to Cancer. I was closed off and didn't think anyone would understand what I was going through. Being extremely apprehensive, I walked in only to find a warm, understanding, and welcoming environment. I can say confidently that it change my grieving process completely and the way that I view my father's passing and death generally.
Since then, the Children's Room has continued to be a part of my life, in big ways and small. It is truly an incredible organization with excellent people who care deeply about the mission.
It is so unique and it offers a service that is generally considered taboo in grief counseling. They are truly subject matter experts and above all full of people are trying to make a difference.
I am very fortunate to have been part of The Children's Room's professional staff from 2005-2010, and to have served as a member of their advisory for a number of years. It's been wonderful to see TCR's growth and evolution over the last nearly 20 years. The Children's Room is a very special place, offering children, teens, and parents/caregivers an opportunity for community around an experience that is often so isolating, and helping teachers, counselors and other professionals feel more equipped to support grieving young people.
In January of 2009, a month before my two daughters turned 5 & 6, my wife died. I was lucky enough to have three people - each from a different part of my life - tell me about The Children's Room, and even then it took me 6 months to make the call. Thank goodness I did! TCR provided my girls and me with a place in which there wasn't a huge elephant in the room and there was no need to pretend we were any more or less sad/angry/numb/happy/etc than we happened to be on any given visit. TCR provided us with peer groups that showed us we were not alone and taught us language and strategies that helped us to identify and process all that comes with the grieving process. Just as its mission proclaims, The Children’s Room creates safe, supportive communities, so that no child, teen, or family has to grieve alone. I am forever grateful to TCR for supporting my daughters and me through an incredibly challenging time.
In elementary school, I was known as the boy whose mother died. Most of us don’t like to talk about death. It is even harder to talk about the death of someone you really love – who you feel you couldn’t live without. I became connected to the Children’s Room (as a board member and later as a donor) so that others suffering from the death of a loved one will be surrounded by people who understand, people who support and embrace them, and people who can help them find their own grieving process – not to forget – but to become stronger and more resilient, to live again fully, so that they will not feel alone.