We received an application in our Financial Gifts program the first week of February and were able to quickly award the funds to the family. The child was preschool-aged and died as a result of a car accident. The family has a surviving older son, who is disabled, and Buzzy’s was connected to this family via the case manager for the older sibling. Buzzy’s Bees is one of very few organizations eligible to give money directly to recipients rather than to an administering organization. We understand that not every need aligns with criteria set by grantors. That is why we applied for and qualify to give our gifts directly to families who have experienced the unexpected loss of a child.

Give Grief a Voice continues into 2021 with our creative and flexible team. Nicole Smith, one of our board members, now chairs the committee. We welcome Marie Henry who has extensive experience with families who grieve in her role as a celebrant, or officiant for funerals. We look forward to a time we can connect in person, though our online meetings are lively. We appreciate the efforts of everyone to keep Give Grief a Voice going with the needed modifications.

We have fourteen families identified to participate in the 2021 cohort of Give Grief a Voice. So far two of our writers, Lisa and April, have gathered four stories via Zoom meetings. More are being scheduled, and we hope that with the weather warming up some of these can be held outside and in person. We can include four more families in the 2021 cohort. If you or anyone you know is interested, please reach out to Nicole at nicole@buzzysbees.com or ask them to fill out our short online application.