The months of summer are often filled with road trips, family vacations, barbecues and care-free days.  I recently returned from a visit with my parents on the East coast.  We took a two hour road trip to Cape Cod and enjoyed an amazing day reminiscing about how our family of seven would spend a week on the Cape in a small rented cottage.  I felt like a little kid again.  But during our time there, I couldn’t help think about how for families that have experienced death and loss, the ideas of summer vacations and road trips can be very bittersweet.  It can be a real challenge to navigate the grief journey during these months.  During my visit I also made a shorter trip to meet with the two staff members of an agency called Rick’s Place – an organization established in 2007, like Kara, committed to serving children and families impacted by loss.  I was able to share with them our collective wisdom from serving families over the past forty years.  I was inspired by their commitment to serving the bereaved and especially excited to know that there is now an agency like Kara only 20 minutes from where I grew up.  Read our Summer Giving Appeal letter to better understand why this is so meaningful to me and and please consider making a gift this summer to support grieving children and families.

Kara Spotlight: Summer Giving Appeal

Each summer we promote a giving campaign with a focus upon the work we do in service to children and families.

Research in childhood bereavement reports that 1 in 20 kids will experience the loss of a significant family member before they reach age 18 – that’s over 65,000 kids and their families in the Bay Area.

This reality magnifies how important it is for Kara to provide our community a safe place to grieve. Your investment in our mission through a gift during our summer giving appeal empowers us to do just that! Read the letter and make a gift today!

KARA UPDATES

Introducing Our Newest Team Member 

This month we were thrilled to welcome Rosario A. Puga-Dempsey, Kara’s Spanish Services Manager.

Rosario comes to Kara with a desire and passion to apply her empathetic and caring spirit to those we serve, in particular in the Latino community.   She brings with her experience  as a behavioral specialist and case manager providing direct services to ethnically and economically diverse children and families, as well as an understanding of the importance of collaboration with community organizations and schools.

We are very excited to have her become part of our team in serving the bereaved in our community!

Drop-In Groups offered at Kara

Kara’s Youth and Family program currently has openings in its sudden loss peer support groups for families. Children who have experienced the death of a parent and adults who have experienced the death of a spouse or partner through sudden loss are able to meet twice a month in a safe and supportive environment. Children meet together to process their grief through a range of activities, while parents meet together to share their experiences around their own grief and parenting issues.

An initial interview is required before enrolling in the group. Although no fee is required for participating in this group, regular donations are suggested and appreciated. For more information, call us at 650-321-5272 or submit our online form.

2016 Annual Report

Just off the presses, spend some time reviewing our 2016 Annual Report.

Learn about our service to the  community providing care, compassion and connection through our many service programs aimed at bringing healing to those who are grieving.   We also have included a special agency timeline  of our 40 years of service.

Camp Erin 2017

Providing a weekend of comfort, healing and fun, Camp Erin provides grieving children  and teens the unique opportunity to be among peers who have also experienced a significant loss. Now in our 10th year, Kara has crafted Camp Erin with great care, combining grief activities that normalize emotions, provide comfort and allow campers to honor memories of their person who died, with traditional camp fun.  Over 80 kids and 40 volunteers will participate on July 28th – 30th.

Next Men’s Group: Beginning September 2017

The group is designed for men who have recently had a significant person in their life die. The Men’s Group is offered twice a year and meets for 12 weekly sessions – typically 7:00 – 8:30 pm on Thursday evenings. The group provides a safe and a supportive environment for men to share their experiences and feelings as well as learn about the grieving process.

An initial interview is required before enrolling in the group. Group will meet at the Palo Alto office location. Although no fee is required for participating in this group, regular donations are suggested and appreciated. Please call us at 650-321-5272 for more information.

PARTNER & ADVOCACY CORNER

We are GRATEFUL for YOU!

A very special thank you this summer goes out to the Adobe Employee Community Fund, Beth Longwell Foundation, Tim Griffith Foundation,  Assistance League of San Mateo County and  The Taylor Family Foundation for their support of Camp Erin!  Your financial  commitment and partnerships help to make a real difference in the lives of children, teens and families in our community navigating their journey of loss and grief.  THANK YOU!