We had sunshine yesterday for the annual Memories Walk, but more importantly we were surrounded by familes, volunteers, and friends who came to support the mission and programs of The Children’s Room.

The community support was simply amazing.  We would like to thank everyone who walked, donated, and sent words of encouragement.  And we would like to give special thanks to our Sol Circle walkers, the Arlington Hockey Club, and Robert’s Birthday party.

Donations can still be made online at www.firstgiving.com/childrensroom, or by mail.

If you are at Arlington Town Day today, September 25th, we hope that you stop by and visit The Children’s Room booth.  You can learn more about our support and education programs, register for our annual Memories Walk (which is next Sunday!), find out about our house tours, or enter our raffle for some very cute teddy bears.  We hope to see you there!

The story of one of our families will air at 7:40 am on The Today Show, on Wednesday, 9/22/2010. The show features Adrianna Duffy, who died at age 17 during her freshman year at Trinity College. Adrianna’s sister Ciarra and her mother Leslie participated in a child loss group here at The Children’s Room. Adrianna’s family has made an effort to honor Adrianna by raising public awareness about the dangers of the birth control patch, which is believed to be related to Adrianna’s death. She is remembered by fellow students and teachers as a motivated, bright, terrific young woman who wanted to become a psychologist and help others. To see a recap of the segment from The Today Show, follow this link:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39303345#39303345

Some Children’s Room participants have found writing to be a transformative experience in their healing journey.  A local writer and teacher is offering an 8 week session: Writing our Way Through…. on Friday morning from 9:15 – 11:15 in Arlington Center. For more information contact Pamela Powell. Call 781-646-6708 or email: mermaidpam@yahoo.com

We offer a series of workshops that provide practical information and strategies to address challenging topics related to death, divorce, illness, or any crisis of loss.  These workshops are open to the community, and continuing education credits are available for participants. Workshops run from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm at our house in Arlington.

If We Lost Uncle David, Why Can’t We Go Find Him? Strategies for Talking with Young Children about Death, Dying and Loss – July 19

Fostering Resiliency in Children Coping with Death, Illness and Other Losses - July 20

Supporting Young Adults Coping with Loss - July 21

For workshop descriptions, fees, and registration information, please visit our Workshop Series page.

The Team Up soccer tournament was successful in every way – so successful that we are already looking at our calendar to schedule it again for next year!  We would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped to make the day run smoothly, with special recognition to Justine Bloch who chaired the event committee.  And we would also like to thank Belmont Hill for generously providing their beautiful field space.

It was wonderful to watch the more than 80 women who came to play soccer – but Team Up was much more than a tournament. We were thrilled that Boston Breaker, Jordan Angell stopped by to sign autographs and talk to the kids, and Heart-E-Ha Ha (Shari Rose) was there to work her face painting magic. The day was filled with good sport, great auction items, generous volunteers and fun games for kids. The event was truly a testament to the spirit and power of our community!

Debra Jones and her children, Isabella and Jordan, came to The Children’s Room in 2004 after her husband Gary died suddenly of a heart attack. Tonight their ongoing challenges are chronicled on the TV show “Losing it With Jillian” airing on channel 7 at 10:00 pm.

In the past year Debra has been diagnosed with diabetes and lives with the fear of leaving her two children without a parent. She knows she needs to start taking care of herself and is seeking help through this program.

As the sole breadwinner for her family, Debra works long hours and is finding it more and more difficult to juggle responsibilities. Increasingly she is relying on her 12-year-old daughter, who is beginning to feel like a “mini-mom.”

We admire the willingness of Debra and her children to open up and confront their very personal challenges, and hope that this program will help them as they bravely struggle to resolve some difficult issues in their lives.

Watch tonight as Jillian spends one week with the Jones family, in an effort  to change their lives for the better.

Losing it With Jillian     Tuesday, June 8th, 10:00 pm     NBC, Channel 7

Our Circle of Hope Breakfast was a wonderful success!  Everyone who cares about The Children’s Room can feel hopeful about the strong and caring response we felt from over 200 guests at our annual breakfast on May 5th.  The morning started out with two teens, Eli and Alex, playing guitar and singing “Tears in Heaven,” offering a beautiful glimpse of this year’s Children’s Room Teen Performance Troupe.  Other highlights included a new video bringing forth the voices of children from our program, as well as moving testimonials from families who have experienced our support groups over the years.  All the donations made that morning will directly  benefit our program, due to the generosity of our event sponsors: Glance Networks and Children’s Hospital Division of Sports Medicine.  We are grateful to all who came together to support families in need.  Thank you!

Dr. Arthur recognized by John Hancock Non-Profit Marathon Program

When Victoria signed up for the Boston Marathon, she created a fundraising challenge for herself — to raise enough to fund 5 children in the program ($7,500).  Well, she doubled her goal! Victoria’s Run has crossed the $15,000 mark, and will cover the costs for 10 children in the support program at The Children’s Room. 

But there is more exciting news: Victoria is number 10 on the list of John Hancock Non-Profit Marathon Program runners!  She is being recognized tonight at their Top 10 Fundraiser Appreciation Event.

What can we say? Wow!
This has been a wonderful and memorable tribute to Victoria’s brother, Peter.  And it has been a tremendous help to The Children’s Room. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this amazing outcome.

For most, adolescence is a period of life defined by growth and new beginnings. Yet for many teens it can be a time marred by grief and turmoil. This workshop will explore how teens make sense of and negotiate between these two competing worlds.  Social workers, counselors, teachers, parents, and any adult working with teens will learn tools and strategies to work with and support teens through all kinds of loss.

This workshop is scheduled for Saturday, May 22 from 9:30am-4:30pm at our house in Arlington. For more information and registration for this and our other three workshops (each focused on a different age group), please visit our Spring-Summer Workshop Series page.