Buzzy's Bees news & updates
March 2023
Buzzy’s Bees hive has been humming busily through the winter months. Families have been served with needed financial support. Interviews have begun with some of our 2023 Give Grief a Voice families. Our traveling art exhibit has been in Portland and Wilsonville. You can visit it in West Linn during March. Warm up for summer golf at the 7th Annual Buzzy’s Bees Golf Tournament on April 29. Mark your calendars!
Public Gallery Tour Continues!
We’ve just wrapped up our third stop of our Regional Arts & Culture Council supported gallery tour at the Wilsonville Library. We were delighted to have our Give Grief a Voice program written up in the Wilsonville Spokesman

Our tour is now being hosted at the West Linn Library for the month of March. Please stop by during library hours anytime before March 31st. 
Better yet, plan on joining us for a virtual panel discussion on Wednesday, March 22, at 7pm. At the event, our lead writer, Lisa, will be meeting with three of our artists, Jessica, Justin, and Vanessa, to discuss their work with the project. Pre-registration is not required, simply join via this Zoom Link. Learn more on the West Linn Library website. Also, Oregon Kid recently helped promote the panel on their website if you would like to read more about it! If you're able to help us get the word out, please share this image on your social media.

Finally, we're happy to share this video which was created by the West Linn Library, as supplementary content to their Death and Dying series. You can listen to Sara, their adult services librarian, interview two of our artists, Dianna and Vanessa.
GGaV Artist Interviews by the West Linn Library
Save the Date -- Saturday, April 29th: 7th Annual Golf Tournament
Our 7th annual Golf Tournament is just around the corner! We would love for you to join us on April 29th for a day of fun and remembrance for the children we hold close to our hearts. All ages and abilities are welcome!

Our long held tradition of a mini-golf tournament, and the newer yet just as well-loved 18-hole par-3 tournament are both being presented by Martin Family Real Estate. The theme this year is superheroes, so capes, masks, and costumes are welcome! Lunch and drinks will be provided for those attending. Ticket sales will be going live soon, so keep an eye out to grab a spot. 

We still need some help putting together this event. If you are interested in joining the golf tournament planning committee, or would like to help out on the day of the event, please contact Nate Drews at nate@buzzysbees.com for more information.
Program Updates
Financial Gifts
As we moved into 2023, Buzzy’s Bees has been able to give six more families financial support following the loss of a young child. The children whose lives we are grieving ranged in age from 2 weeks old to 8 years old. Gifts, which were an average size of $520, were requested to help with funeral expenses as well as help with bills, utilities, rent, and groceries. One family confided in us that they plan to use the financial gift to run additional tests post-autopsy to try to understand what happened as well as complete the gravestone. Our hearts are with these families as they mourn. 

Families come to us in a variety of ways. Of these six families, they learned about our program from a Social Worker referral at Stanford Children’s Hospital, via a Podcast appearance, internet searches, and personal referrals. If you know of a family who could use some financial support, please let us know through this application.
Give Grief a Voice
This 2023 Give Grief a Voice season is in full swing. We’ve transferred approximately ⅓ of the family stories to their selected artists. Another ⅓ of the stories are in development, and the last ⅓ of the families are in the process of being scheduled for virtual interviews. This year, as regular readers will already know, we’ve mostly returned to in-person family conversations. The in-person conversations were scheduled at the beginning of the season, and now we’re working to complete our virtual meetups. 

We'd like to share a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes. As we transfer stories from writer to artist, we also invite families to submit family photos. It’s already typical for our artists to request photos from visual cues mentioned in the family stories. Maybe the artist wants to see a photo of the family dog or a special wallpaper mentioned by the family. 

Sometimes, we receive a few photos. Other times, we receive many. Families are invited to submit as many or as few as they’d like. We create a folder for each family in Drive, named after their child, and share it with the family’s selected artist. It’s a digital memorial of sorts, and we regard it as our privilege to witness, share, and archive these family photos.
Peer Support Group - D.U.B.S.
Our DUBS program leaders continue to welcome new members into our online support group. This safe space has been created to provide an opportunity to make genuine connections with fellow grievers. If you are interested in joining a virtual support group with other adults who have been impacted by the unexpected death of a child, please reach out to dubs@buzzysbees.com.
Sustaining Sponsor -- Martin Family Real Estate
Buzzy's Bees continues to grow to meet the overwhelming need of families following the unexpected loss of a child. Each year the number of families we are able to give financial support to increases, along with the average amount that each family receives. This growth continues to be possible in large part because of the directed annual donation from Martin Family Real Estate.

Their gift for our 2023 program year in memory of Aubrey and Dan Martin's firstborn son, Garron, will allow us to provide a cash gift to approximately 10 families. This generous gift will allow us to serve about half of the families we hope to reach this year. We can already anticipate the deep gratitude from the families who receive these gifts. What a beautiful way to honor Garron's memory.

Thank you, Martin Family Real Estate – for your heart and your generous gift!
Art Raffle -- Buy Tickets For a Chance to Win
This Spring, we are raffling off two pieces by professional artists based in Seattle with a combined valued totaling more than $1600. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 6 for $25 and may be purchased online. The drawing will be held on April 30th and winners will be notified via email. All proceeds benefit the Give Grief A Voice Project. Good luck!
Skagit Daffs
Oil on canvas, framed
18 x 24 inches
Value: $890
August Morning Sunnies 
Acrylic on canvas, framed
20 x 16 inches
Value: $750
In Memory Of
One way to acknowledge and remember a loved one is with a gift. In 2022 we humbly received gifts donated in memory of the following individuals: Talia Bradley, Ellie Carmichael, Aiden Preston Causey, Hudson Drews, Ruby Lakoduk, Brooke Racheal Marsh, Garron Martin, Theodore McBride, Brynn McMeen, Emilio Mendler, Amy Moore, Lucila Aviña de Morales, Amelia Bea Randolph, and Hadley Wren Whiting. 

You may be moved to honor someone you love by giving in honor, memory, or celebration of them. Tribute giving is a way to recognize, honor, and celebrate people and events that are important to you by giving to others. Our online donation form captures such information, with an option to have our team send an acknowledgement on your behalf. Or, if you would like to host your own Buzzy’s Bees tribute fundraising page or event, please reach out to Julie at julie@buzzybees.com.
2022 Fundraising Summary
Building and running our scrappy yet strong volunteer led organization costs money. How much money, you may have wondered? The 2023 budget totals $66k in expenses which includes a 26% increase in program spending. We anticipate that this year your dollars will directly impact 75 families.

Being careful stewards of the money we are given is important to us. Being able to allocate such a large portion to program spending is only possible because of our volunteer roster of nearly 40 people! Thank you to our amazing “hive” of people who make the mission of Buzzy’s Bees possible. Contributions throughout the year of time, services, special skills, and generous gifts created the opportunity for our growth. The full list of people we want to thank is here.
Community Fair with Safe Crossings and Seattle Children's Hospital
On a chilly but bright February day, volunteers from Buzzy’s tabled at the first ever “Guilding Love and Grief” community fair hosted by the Safe Crossings Foundation and Seattle Children’s hospital. The day included many activities, from a youth panel attended by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, to a game of cornhole, a firetruck tour, and the chance to meet a retired service dog who is now an accomplished painter.  

Alongside a display of reproductions of art from our Give Grief a Voice program, we also hosted a creative project from a fellow organization, Love Rocks, where attendees were invited to glue a fabric heart onto a rock and use it to spread love and joy into the world. We at Buzzy’s are so grateful we were able to table the event side by side with many other wonderful organizations and people who seek to open the conversation surrounding grief and grief culture. 

We would also like to extend a special thank you to April McCormick, one of the first parents to participate in Give Grief a Voice who graciously agreed to join us at our table to help share the work we do. April recently started the podcast Uncomfortable Friend where she shares her journey with grief, which she shared at our table as well. You can listen to her story here.
Information Connections
Resources
Connecting our community to additional grief and loss resources to help navigate this rugged terrain. We have recently found the following to share.
  • The TEARS Foundation, a wonderful resource for those who have lost a child that we have previously featured, has recently started a podcast. This podcast tells the stories of bereaved parents and their journey with grief, with some notable names such as Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots. If you are interested in tuning in, you can find the podcast on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple.
  • One of the more recommended tools for processing grief is to write a letter to a loved one who has passed. The amazing Sleepy Sue’s Postal Service for the Dead takes this idea one step further, by giving those in mourning a place to send their letters to. The contents of the letter can be anything that one needs or wants to say, and Sleepy Sue’s staff will respect your wishes of whether you want your letter shared, or even read at all. For many, having an outlet to express one’s grief is very important, and Sleepy Sue has provided a wonderful option.
Thoughts from our Blog
In case you missed it, here is recent post from our blog.
  • Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (aka SUDC) is very close to the heart of Buzzy’s. Hudson, who our organization was founded in memory of, passed from SUDC, and many of the families we serve were also affected by it. In conjunction with the SUDC Foundation and its SUDC awareness month, we would like to take a moment to share some information about SUDC this March. Please check out this blog post to learn more about the basics of SUDC.
  • We would like to thank all of those who donated to Buzzy’s this year, whether it was their time, their talents, or through financial support. Your support helps us continue to serve bereaved families and our mission to change grief culture. We are inspired by your generosity. Thank you.
Additional Ways to Support Buzzy's Bees
Volunteer Opportunities - Giving your time and talents
If you are looking to get involved with Buzzy's Bees, we are always happy to match your interests, available time, and specific talents with one of our standing committees. Please get in touch! Sometimes folx are looking for a defined role, in which case, here are a couple of opportunities to consider:

Golf Event Planning Committee Member - contact Nate Drews
Our 7th annual mini and par-3 golf event will be held on April 29, 2023 and we start meeting in late January, mostly by phone/web conferencing. We keep things light, fun, and organized. Help us develop the event theme, reach out to potential hole sponsors, determine event prizes, lunch menu, swag bags, and other special touches to make the day a success. We’d love to add you to our team! 
 
Communications Committee Member - contact Amanda Drews
Our communications committee could use another person or two with a passion for telling our story. We meet once a month virtually, and in the interim we could especially use your help to pass along language and updates to our GoogleAds contractor. Join us!
 
IT Support - contact Julie Schneider
Have you noticed that our emails are .com even though we are a .org website? Do you have the IT talent to help us transition our email addresses to the new domain? We could use your help!
Giving Partners
Thank you for your ongoing support through matching and other programs. Check these options:
  • Benevity - A matching program through your employer (ie Google, Microsoft, Nike, etc)
  • BottleDrop - We are a registered non-profit with Oregon's BottleDrop and can receive proceeds from your donated cans and bottles! If you want to participate or have any further questions please reach out to Alex at dubs@buzzysbees.com.
  • Fred Meyer Community Rewards - In addition to receiving personal rewards you can link your customer card to Buzzy’s Bees at Fred Meyer Community Rewards
  • Thrivent Choice Dollars - If you have an insurance or annuity contract with Thrivent you may have Choice Dollars to designate. Check it out at thrivent.com under the My Thrivent heading.  
  • Donate Your Miles - We are set up to receive hotel points or airline miles from you as a donation. Reach out to Emilia at emmy@buzzysbees.com.
Grief does not discriminate. Buzzy’s Bees strives to support a broad and diverse community of grieving families.