Holding on to Hope
:
National Children's Grief Awareness Day 2018
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Thursday, November 15th, was
National Children's Grief Awareness Day
!
We were proud to wear blue to show our support and to connect with the community to raise awareness of the unique needs of grieving children and teens.
Leading up to the event, we asked our TCR community to share their thoughts on the importance of grief awareness and support. Their beautiful handwritten reflections were written on blue hearts. Once completed, every two hearts were joined together as a butterfly, symbolizing the integration of grief and awareness and the changes that occur as we support each other with care and understanding. Ultimately, all of the messages we received were gathered and assembled by our incredible interns into one big, beautiful display.
For more photos from throughout the day, please visit our
Facebook page
.
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Meet Our 2019 "Miles & Memories" Marathon Team
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We're proud to introduce the runners of our
2019 "Miles & Memories"
Boston Marathon
Team
!
Over the past nine years, our marathon teams have raised over $800,000 to support The Children’s Room.
Warm thanks to
Crissy Straub
and
Malinda Dublin
,
of
MC Coaching
, for once again volunteering their services to help train and guide our runners from the beginning of the process all the way through the race day. This is their fourth year coaching our team.
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A Light in the Darkness: Grieving in the Winter
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"Hope is being able to see that there is a light despite all of the darkness."
~ Desmond Tutu
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It is often acknowledged that the holiday season can add many logistical and emotional burdens for those who are grieving. Less often acknowledged are the shifts in weather and light that happen as winter arrives and progresses. Here in New England, the days become not only colder, but also shorter and much darker, and these changes may have an effect on our mood, our behavior, and how we care for ourselves and our families as we grieve.
We offer our reflections and tips for grieving in winter months. We hope you find them helpful.
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Our Next Volunteer Training Begins Friday, January 4
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We are currently planning our next
Volunteer Facilitator Training
that will occur in January 2019. Trained volunteer facilitators are valued members of our bi-weekly grief peer support groups.
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If you are interested in becoming a TCR Peer Support Group Facilitator, please submit an application as soon as possible. Our next Volunteer Training begins on January 4th.
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TCR Teen Program Indoor Climbing Event
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On November 3rd, our teens took on a variety of indoor climbing challenges in
Brooklyn Boulder's
incredible, collaborative space.
With the facilitation skills and support of Brooklyn Boulders (BKB) staff, they first had the opportunity to choose individual climbing activities inc
luding
bouldering, auto belays, and top rope belay climbing. Feeling warmed up, they then moved on to try a variety of interactive team building games and cooperative indoor climbing tasks.
Our staff have a number of additional events planned for the remainder of the 2018-2019 year! The teen participants continue to share positive feedback to others who are interested in joining, sharing "It was all super fun!... It's super helpful, and I would recommend to all."
Our
next upcoming event
is a
Teen Sign Making Workshop
on December 8th. Our teens will visi
t
ArtLounge
in Arlington and will be offered a variety of options to create their own wooden signs using distressed wood techniques and a combination of stencils.
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Stay in touch with us to make sure you hear about upcoming
teen programming
events.
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31 Nights of Lights at Prudential Center
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We are thrilled to partner with the
Prudential Center
in celebrating the 10th anniversary of 31 Nights of Light. The lights raise awareness for our community of nonprofit groups and the causes they tirelessly support.
On
December 17th
, the Prudential Center will shine a light in support of The Children's Room! Our staff will participate in the "flip the switch" ceremony at 5pm, to commence the night. Please stop by anytime from 4:30 - 6:30pm to show your support!
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15th Annual Memories Walk
Our Heartfelt Thanks
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Thank you to everyone who joined us on Sunday, October 14, and everyone who supported us in raising over $70,000 for our
15th Annual Memories Walk
!
The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and we felt a strong sense of community as
293 walkers
walked together up Mass. Ave. to celebrate TCR and to remember those in our lives who have died.
We send a big thank you to TCR volunteer
Bill Hayner
for sharing his poignant personal story during the opening remarks.
We simply could not do this vital work without the support of our entire community, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this year’s event such a resounding success.
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1210 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, MA 02476
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