fbpx

Support a Grieving Family this Summer

kara grief support
Understanding Our Grieving Style Workshop
July 20, 2021
Kara Grief - Spanish Services
2021 Spanish Services Volunteer Training
July 20, 2021
Show all

Support a Grieving Family this Summer

This summer, a grieving family or child needs your support.

With the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the need is greater than ever. The emotions and stigma related to Covid-related loss increase the need for intensive community support for bereaved children, youth, and families. By donating to Kara today, you can ensure that families and children facing the difficult realities of death are provided with the space and connections required as they journey through grief. With the benefit of our accessible services, children and families find renewed hope and meaning after loss.

Jamie McIntosh, a current student at UC Berkeley, shares about her Kara experience in the accompanying video.  Her connection to Kara started when she attended a children's grief group when she was 10 years old, about a year after the death of her father. Now a thriving young adult and successful college student, Jamie serves as a volunteer in our Youth & Family and Camp programs, and shares the following:

After my father died, I became involved in Kara's peer support group and attended Camp Kara, and both experiences made me feel welcome and showed me that I was not alone. Camp is about being able to do things like swimming and rock climbing while knowing that you're supported by people who understand what you're going through.

As a volunteer, Jamie helps children and teens understand and normalize the difficult feelings they experience as the result of a death in the family.

One of the biggest supports that Kara gave me while I was growing through the loss of my dad was being surrounded by so many adults who had also experienced losses and were there to offer their kindness and support. They taught me that coping with loss proved how strong I was. I was given an amazing opportunity to connect with and help others who need the same support that I did.

Jamie's story highlights how Kara serves youth and families in the community. Every day, Kara provides hope and critical support to help grieving families rediscover meaning and purpose in their lives.

Most of us know a family who has suffered a loss. Research confirms that childhood and young adult bereavement is a public health crisis, causing an increased risk of disrupted development. Unaddressed childhood grief and trauma can lead to short- and long-term difficulties including poor academic performance, problematic relationships, mental health issues, and early mortality. The prevalence of loss is highlighted by the following estimates from the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model*:

By age 25, 1 in 11 (or 160,000) Bay Area children and young adults will grieve the death of a parent
By age 18, 1 in 18 (5.6%) youth in California will grieve the death of a parent or sibling
In addition, one study estimates that for every COVID-19 death, approximately nine surviving Americans (over 55,000 in the Bay Area) will lose a grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse, or child.**

Your gift to Kara today will make a healing difference in the life of a grieving child or family. Please support Kara with your gift online, or by check sent to Kara at 457 Kingsley Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301.


* The Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM) was developed by Judi's House/JAG Institute in partnership with New York Life Foundation, to approximate childhood bereavement rates due to the deaths of a parent or sibling.
** Tracking the reach of COVID-19 kin loss with a bereavement multiplier applied to the United States