For the second year in a row, The Vivs graciously put on a Holiday Benefit & Bash to support The Children’s Room.

Thanks to The Vivs and everyone who came out for this fun evening – the $1,500 you raised supports a child in our program for a year!

The Vivs 2nd Annual

Rock & Roll Holiday Benefit & Bash

for The Children’s Room

featured Big Dipper, Bill Janovitz & Tanya Donelly, The Vivs, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, and The Lesley Ellis Children’s Chorus

also featured The CCC Bell Choir

sponsored by Narragansett Beer  *  Brett Milano Emcee

Saturday, December 17th, 2011

The Regent Theatre

6:30pm

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The Visiting Nurse and Community Health’s Hospice Care invites you to their Celebration of Light Holiday Service – a service of comfort and hope especially for those experiencing loss.

Thursday, December 8th, 2011 at 7:00pm

Church of Our Saviour

21 Marathon St., East Arlington, MA

For more information, please contact Nancy Strong, Hospice Bereavement Coordinator at 781-643-6090 ext. 1342. Download the flyer here.

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The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting is hosting their 15th annual candle lighting on December 11th, 2011.

This memorial event will happen worldwide at 7:00pm local time, creating a virtual wave of light as hundreds of thousands of persons in all time zones commemorate and honor the memory of children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries.

Many people will participate in this memorial in their own homes or small groups, but you are welcome to join the Greater Boston Chapter of The Compassionate Friends for their candle lighting gathering in Jamaica Plain.

December 11th, 2011 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm

Forest Hill Cemetery, 95 Forest Hill Ave, Jamaica Plain, MA

Read about the details for this event and download the event flyer here. Pre-registration is recommended. Register by calling Linda Strother at 617-288-8068 or e-mailing thecompassionatefriendsofboston@hotmail.com.

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We warmly invite you to come to The Children’s Room for our

Circle of Light Community Candle Lighting

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

6:30pm to 7:30pm

at The Children’s Room in Arlington, MA

Readings, a community art project, and refreshments will all be part of the evening. Please RSVP to Sarah at sarah@childrensroom.org or 781-641-4741 if you are interested in attending.

You can download a flyer for this memorial evening by clicking here.

Please join The Children’s Room for an evening of remembrance, comfort and hope…

In this season of light, remember the light
your loved one has brought to your life.

]]> http://childrensroom.org/20111210/circle-of-light-community-candle-lighting/feed/ 0 http://childrensroom.org/20111201/seeking-2-runners-for-boston-marathon-apply-today/ http://childrensroom.org/20111201/seeking-2-runners-for-boston-marathon-apply-today/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:13:18 +0000 betzi http://childrensroom.org/?p=2682 Application deadline has been extended to December 9th! Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Through the generosity of the John Hancock Foundation, five Boston Marathon bibs have been allocated to The Children’s Room. If you are interested in running this Spring to raise awareness and funds for TCR, we invite you to submit your information for consideration.  Applications will be accepted until December 9th. Final bib recipients will be announced by December 23rd so that training can begin!

To apply, click the link to download our 2012 TCR Marathon Runner Application and submit your completed application by e-mail to Kim@childrensroom.org or by mail to:

If you would like to find out more information, please email Kim@childrensroom.org

Memories That Move Us –

Still want to donate to this year’s walk? It’s not too late to make an online contribution at  Firstgiving.

Again, we thank our generous walk sponsors, all the friends and volunteers and donors who made our Memories Walk a success again this year, and we especially thank the Arlington Hockey Club for another amazing year of support!

Ten years after losing her husband, Teresa Mathai shared some of her memories and reflections with us. “Ten years ago, on September 11, 2001, when I heard my husband Joseph Mathai was at a conference at Windows on the World at the WTC and missing after the buildings collapsed, I was in shock and overwhelmed. As a mother with two young kids, I did not know how to break the news to them and how to face the uncertain future ahead. Good friends of ours, Joe and Candy Bergantino, suggested that I call The Children’s Room, which I did. Our family will never forget the kindness and loving support we received from The Children’s Room from those early days of this tragedy, and we will forever be grateful for the continued friendship we have maintained all these years!”

Here at The Children’s Room, we work every day to help support grieving families, and we know that the death of a parent or sibling remains one of society’s least understood and least supported issues. Yet we are inspired daily by stories of courage, and stories of families who turn loss into healing.

Teresa Mathai recently helped Boston families record their memories of loved ones when the 9/11 Memorial Museum visited Boston, through a series of audio recording sessions at The Children’s Room. One of those who shared his story was Franklin Ross, whose father died on 9/11.

Franklin wrote a book of poems to honor his father, and his poetry illustrates how creative expression can transform pain into meaning and beauty. His collection of poetry honors the life of his father Richard Ross, and shines as a beacon of hope for others who have experienced a profound loss. We offer a link so you can read more about the collection of poems by Franklin Ross. Franklin has generously offered to donate part of the proceeds from his book to The Children’s Room.

Two women who have become part of our circle of support at The Children’s Room are Susan Retik and Patti Quigley, who were both widowed on 9/11. Together, Susan and Patti have helped hundreds of widows through the foundation they built together, called  Beyond the 11th . The Children’s Room is grateful for the generous support we have received from the David E. Retik and Christopher D. Mello Foundation, which in turn has helped sustain our programs for grieving families in Massachusetts.

Our Director of Education and Training, Deborah Rivlin, worked with Boston-area 9/11 families for years. In a Boston Globe article this past week, Deborah reflected; “The loss is forever, you are changed forever, but you learn to integrate the loss into your life. There’s an opportunity that comes, in finding ways to make meaning of the loss.”

As a resource to our community, we offer a list of suggestions for talking to your child about the tenth anniversary, recommended by the National Alliance for Grieving Children.

The NAGC’s 15th annual symposium took place in Boston this year! This symposium brought together professionals in the child bereavement field to share their best practices concerning programming, research, measurement, fundraising and other topics. This colorful photograph shows artwork created by attendees from our NAGC workshop, “Winter Always Turns to Spring.”

Over 300 representatives from child bereavement programs across the country came together in June to share and learn about the important issues facing the many grieving families we serve.

Staff from The Children’s Room presenting at the symposium included Laurie Moskowitz-Corrois, Deborah Rivlin, and Colleen Shannon.  They are pictured here with Phyllis Silverman (board member and internationally known author and bereavement researcher) as well as our Executive Director, Donna Smith Sharff. Our workshops were well attended and widely appreciated!

We shared an expressive arts activity we had used this spring in our groups as we explored different feelings. The discussion that unfolds is around growth (the petals), support (the stem), comfort (the leaves), and a child or teen being at the center of their own life, with the person who died always being a part of them.

As Laurie Moskowitz-Corrois explains, the metaphor “winter always turns into spring” can become a rich dialogue using the understanding of the seasons to deepen our awareness of the cycles of life and death and personal meaning making.”

Email info@childrensroom.org if you’d like to find out more about our workshop materials. For a detailed description of the expressive arts intervention on Spring Flowers, please click here.

Tours of The Children’s Room are open to those in our communities who would like to learn more about how peer support groups help grieving children, teens, and families.

Guests hear a heartfelt welcome from a board or staff member, then take a 45 minute walk through the house.

People tell us after the tour that they are incredibly moved and say they can now picture what happens in our program. They enter expecting to find a sad atmosphere, and instead they leave feeling surprised by the colorful and comforting surroundings at the house, and the stories of hope and inspiration. Visit the Community Tours page for more information.

Please RSVP or make inquiries to:  Kim@childrensroom.org

For families interested in applying to the program:
Please contact michele@childrensroom.org for Family Orientation dates.

It was wonderful to share an uplifting hour in a room filled with warm and caring people. We are so glad if you were able to  join us this year. The enormous outpouring of love and support will clearly make a difference in the lives of grieving children and families this year. The funds raised will enable us to maintain our peer support programs for grieving children, teens, and families, and will help us offer education and support in under-served communities.

If you were not able to attend the breakfast this year, but would like contribute, you can make a secure, online donation here. We hope you’ll join us next year!

We are deeply appreciative of the support of our community, enabling The Children’s Room to continue to offer vital and life-changing services to grieving families.

Tina, running in memory of her mother, wore her mother’s running shorts. Maritza pushed through, even while fighting a cold and a knee injury. Donna was motivated by the courage of the families we serve. Martin has now run three marathons in support of TCR! They were all inspired and energized by the encouragement of the supporters along the marathon route. They said: “Having people there for you was so important; It helped not to feel alone on this journey; It felt like the encouragement and support helped to move you forward and pulled you through.”  It was striking to hear how their comments mirrored what families often feel in their support groups at TCR!

The Children’s Room is so grateful to the runners and the incredible support they received from family, friends, and the community. Thank you to all who supported our wonderful Miles + Memories team!!

Click here if you would like to make a donation in support of the team – it’s not too late!