In this issue:

Sibling Loss Support Group for Adults
Restorative Yoga Class
Kara Is Looking for New Space
Kara's Spring Thing 2010: The Secret Garden
Kara Good Grief Conference, Friday, Sept. 24
Next Kara Tour Thursday June 10, 4PM

Sibling Loss Support Group for Adults Kara will offer a support group for adult men and women who are grieving following the death of a sibling. The group will meet on the first and third Tuesday evenings of the month and will begin mid June. An initial interview is required in order to join the group. Please contact Sue Carter at Sue@kara-grief.org or call the Kara office for more information.

Restorative Yoga Class People who are grieving are often surprised at how much they feel their grief in their body. They may experience tension, headaches, insomnia and other physical effects. Many people find yoga, with its gentle moves and focused breathing, helpful in alleviating these physical symptoms Kara will be offering a Restorative Yoga class for those who are interested in exploring body work as a tool in the grieving process. The group will meet on Tuesday mornings beginning September 14th for four sessions. A $10 fee is requested per class to cover expenses. All levels are welcome; no previous yoga experience is necessary. An initial interview is required before joining the group. Please contact Sue Carter at Sue@kara-grief.org or call the Kara office for more information.

Kara Is Looking for New Space Kara will most likely have to move its Youth and Family Programs from the First Baptist Church to new space due to changes in the available space at FBC. We are looking at two options: finding new space just for Youth and Family or finding new space for all of Kara. While we would greatly miss our wonderful old house on Kingsley Ave., it would also be advantageous to have all of our programs under one roof. For option one (just Youth and Family), we would need about 2,000 square feet that would accommodate after-school and evening use in rooms with a comforting, home-like atmosphere. For option two (all of Kara), we would need 6,000-7,000 with a mix of staff offices, counseling rooms, and comfortable meeting space. And of course, we need the space at a low nonprofit rental rate. We may need to be out of our space at FBC by August 15, so we do need to act quickly. If you have any suggestions on available space or any connections that might be helpful, please contact Stephanie Demos at 650-321-2043 x17 or stephanie@kara-grief.org.

Kara's Spring Thing 2010: The Secret Garden On Sunday May 23 over 250 guests joined together at the Sofitel San Francisco Bay to enjoy fine food and wine, engage in lively auction bidding and support Kara. Pictured at right are Shelly Gillan, Kara's Director of Client Services; Jim Bronson, Kara's Director of Community Outreach and Education, and Carol Zepecki, Director of Student Services for the Palo Alto Unified School District and the evening's honoree. We debuted a new video about Kara's services (it will be up on the Kara web site shortly), and entertainment was provided by The Mendicants, the a capella singing group from Stanford. We thank those who came this year and we invite all of you to join us next year at Kara's Spring Thing 2011.

Kara's Fall 2010 Conference: Healing After Trauma and Loss Online registration is now open for Kara's Fall Conference - Good Grief: Healing After Trauma and Loss. The keynote speakers are: * Dr. Joanne Cacciatore speaking on "Healing Communities after Trauma and Tragedy." Dr. Cacciatore specializes in counseling those affected by traumatic losses; she is a professor at Arizona State University and the founder of the Center for Loss and Trauma/MISS Foundation. * Dr. Matthew Cordova and Dr Joe Ruzek, speaking on "Early Intervention Strategies for Treating Traumatic Loss". The speakers are co-founders of the Early Intervention Clinic in Los Altos, which specializes in treatment for trauma and PTSD. There will also be breakout sessions on Avoiding Caregiver Burnout, Treating Trauma with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming); and Working with Teens in Crisis. This year's conference will be held at the Schultz Cultural Arts Center at the new Oshman JCC in Palo Alto. Click here to register.

Kara Tour on Thursday, June 10 Kara hosts monthly one-hour introductory tours for those who wish to learn more about our programs and services. You are cordially invited to learn about how you might help to support and sustain Kara programs and services. The next tour will be given on Thursday, June 10 at 4PM. An RSVP to Stephanie@kara-grief.org is helpful but not required. Tours are now at Kara's main office at 457 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto. Snacks will be provided. Tours are given on the 2nd Thursday of each month. A complete schedule can be found on our web site. Note: The Kara Tour is not designed for potential clients seeking support services. Please call Kara directly (650-321-5272) to discuss support services for yourself or another. Click to see the 2010 Tour Schedule

Contact Us

457 Kingsley Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-321-5272

Office hours are M-Th 9AM to 4PM, Fr 9AM to 1PM Pacific time.
Here is a map to our office.

Kara is the Gothic root of the word "care."
It means to reach out, to care, to lament, to grieve with.