November is National Children’s Grief Awareness Month. Now is the time to honor the experiences of grieving children and call attention to the significant need for community support. In Arizona, 1 in 10 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. That’s 160,000 children who will experience disruptions in childhood development, difficulty in the classroom or attending school at all, an undermined sense of safety and strained relationships.
In Southern Arizona, the need for support is especially needed. Last year, we served 1,117 individuals through support groups and one-on-one support. This year, respectively, we anticipated a 25% and 15% growth of these programs. What we’ve seen is an astonishing 30%. We could not do this work without the compassion of 191 volunteers, board members and the collaboration of our Tucson partners.
This week on Saturday, November 15th from 4:30–6:30 p.m., we are looking forward to partnering with Children’s Museum Tucson to participate in Healing with Play, a nationwide initiative led by the Association of Children’s Museums, Knology, and the New York Life Foundation. Together, we’re creating a special evening where families who have experienced the death of a loved one are invited to attend a Tu Nidito support group night at the Museum. The event is free, but registration is required.
This month, we’re also partnering with the National Alliance for Children’s Grief in their Flip the Script campaign to raise awareness about the risks associated with childhood grief. The overarching message is to get loud about childhood grief, so make sure you follow us on social media to learn how you can support the grieving children in your life.
Lastly, November is a time to be grateful. We are so incredibly thankful for our volunteers, board members, staff, and donors who continually show up for grieving children, teens, young adults, caregivers and their families in Southern Arizona. All of your hearts commit us to continuing this work, and we need your support more than ever. Every $45 raised supports a grieving child for a month, and $90 provides care to a child with a serious medical condition. All donations are eligible for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit, so we ask that you make a gift today.
With gratitude,
