Posted by Kate Atwood on August 30, 2002 at 08:13:47:
If you are a surviving parent with children, I want to help you and your kids. I lost my mother at the age of 12--That was 11 years ago. I still feel the pain of that loss every day, though the pain emmits itself differently each time. This event does not define me however it does help create the person that I have become. And what I strives to do is to start an organization for kids that are dealing with the loss of a parent. So many voids can be filled by my simple desire to lend my time and support to these kids...for them to know that they will be okay and feel the comfort of other kids around them that share the similar experience. I do not aim to provide therapy for these kids, but instead everything else around that--Set them up with mentors, take them to the ballgame, take them shopping, listen to them, be silly with them. I know I could have gained so much from having one extra hand to reach out for and knowing that I was not alone. Any feedback is graciously accepted. I aim to provide services to the kids--activities and opportunities--anything they are interested in doing. And I plan to provide support for the surviving parent--carpools, babysitting, grocery shopping. I am still in the early stages but am reaching out to find if a service such as this would be embraced. We are all survivors!!