News

Journal of Hope Newsletter – Winter / Spring 2009

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Inside This Issue:

  • A Note From the Founder
  • Solace News
  • Book Spotlight
  • Upcoming Events
  • A Big Thanks

A Note From the Founder

After completing six years of program and facility building, I am gratified to see that our facility is running out of space. This was only possible with the help of our volunteer s who have taken the 24 hour s of training to be able to facilitate our peer support groups.

We are blessed to have a comfortable home on the UNR campus with six rooms that are designed for age appropriate sessions. But we need a minimum of 12 rooms so that when we get a call from someone in need, I can say “I can sign you up today” instead of ”It’s a four week wait.” It is hard to put grief on hold.

We are actively adding volunteer s while we are looking for a new space. At the same time, The Solace Tree is gaining national attention from teacher organizations, hospice organizations, and the press. In many ways this is because of the excellent books that we have written with Solace kids to help all grieving kids. We are releasing our 4th book, Kids Can Cope, which is intended to be a Hospice and Doctor resource publication.

Shortly, we

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The Solace Tree Receives $30,000 Grant From William G. McGowan Charitable Fund

The Solace Tree wishes to thank The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund for their $30,000 grant aimed at supporting programs and services for individuals and families who have experienced loss through the death of a loved one. About the Foundation The Philanthropic Family Foundation was founded in 1992 by William G. McGowan to promote, nurture, … Read more

The Solace Tree Featured in December RLife Magazine

Excerpt from December’s RLife Magazine:

 

The holiday season can be especially difficult for individuals who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Some family members share that not having their loved one around during the holidays intensifies the pain of the loss. While others talk about the joy that can be experienced through continuing traditions special to the person who died, they too will remember the memories of past holidays by commemorating the deceased.

If you are like some people experiencing grief, you have many questions. It’s important to know there are no right or wrong answers-everyone grieves differently. There may be various answers depending upon the unique factors of you and your family’ssituation: who it was that died, when and how the person died, what your relationship was like with the person who died, and how involved you and your family were with the holidays, to name a few.

Here are some guidelines The Solace Tree participants have shared that are helpful to get through the holiday season. These are only suggestions. Shape them to fit your circumstances. Try to remember that many others have had experiences similar to what you’re going through right now. They have learned what it is like to endure and to survive and often even to grow through their experiences.

 

  • Embrace your memories; they are your greatest link to legacies that exist after someone dies. Talking about the person by sayingtheir name and sharing your memories with others really does help keep these days special.
  • Invite children in the family to help make choices or decisions

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Article In Washoe Family Magazine

Original article published April 2007, in Washoe Family magazine.

In times of grief and sadness, there’s no better way to find comfort than breathing in fresh air and soaking up sunlight. That’s why for two weekends each year, 34 children, 16 adolescents, 25 volunteer facilitators, two nurses, a cook and two camp leaders gather in the great outdoors for bereavement camp.

In 2002, the Solace Tree was created as this community’s first non-profit organization to assist families and children with bereavement. When loved ones die, children and adults are faced with a tremendous range of feelings, which come and go at different times. These new emotions and the challenges of grief are diffcult pieces to fit into daily life, which is why we felt it was important to create a sort of escape, in the form of bereavement camp — some place to get away, if only for a few days, to become rejuvenated, to deal with feelings and to soak up that sunshine.

Our first camp, in the summer of 2006, was so popular that we, unfortunately, had to turn away 32 children and adolescents, simply due to a lack of space. We decided that from then on, we would hold bereavement camp two weekends a year, once in summer and once in fall.

These two camps — Camp Solace, held at majestic Glenbrook at Lake Tahoe, and Camp HUG at Eagle Lake — are both designed to help kids, ages 7 to 17, to grieve in a safe environment, as they learn

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Good Grief Newsletter – Vol. 1

As you read this newsletter, think about where these children, adolescents and adults would have gone if we didn’t have a program that supported their grief. As I collect pictures, I am reminded of the courage that each child and adolescent has shown each day and every week as they attend the only place for grieving children and adolescents. We are here to listen, guide and teach. As a result, families are strengthened and parents are feeling more confident about their parenting skills as they too work through their loss.

We have a great board of directors that care deeply about our mission and building a stronger community for all of our children. I am grateful to have the many volunteers share their time and passion in our program as well as deeply honored that the community has chosen The Solace Tree – Child and Adolescent Center for Grief and Loss to make a contribution.

For the children,

Emilio

Home


Many of you may be aware that The Solace Tree used donated space for the past three years. We are very grateful for the space provided by Anderson Elementary School, Renown Health and Bailey Charter School. Over the past few months something magic has happened. The University of Nevada, Reno has help donate a house in an undisclosed space on campus.

As an organization we began to put down roots in this community, roots that have grown strong. Our home gives children and adolescents a place to call their own, a home where the rooms are always

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