Our Impact:
73
2017 Heart Songs Helped
51 Children
22 Teens
155
Counseling Sessions
73
Loved One Who Died Was
31 Hospice Patient
42 Not in Hospice Care
By supporting Heart Songs, you help children and teens receive the grief counseling they need after losing a parent, sibling, grandparent or other through programs that best fit their needs.
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Camp Heart Songs
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LIFT (Life in Forward Transitions) program for families with children
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Individual Counseling Sessions
Support for Hurting Children & Teens
According to the National Alliance for Grieving Children, 1.5 million children and teens in the United States lose a loved one each year. Most receive no support.
At Four Seasons, we know age-appropriate grief support significantly influences the well-being of the children and teens in our community.
Heart Songs helps children and teens who have lost a loved one. Participation in the program decreases isolation, increases coping skills, and encourages connection among their peers.
Pediatric Hospice Patients
Four Seasons serves hospice patients of all ages, including infants, children and teens. While losing a loved one is always painful, pediatric patients and their families need special care.
In addition to physical care, pediatric patients and their families receive emotional and spiritual support from the time of the child’s hospice diagnosis, through end-of-life and bereavement.
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Daphne's Story of Grief and Healing
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In one night, 11-year-old Daphne lost her home and father. She vividly remembers him running back into the flames to make sure everyone was out. With scars over 75% of her body, her grief was both physical and emotional. She blamed herself for her father’s death, wishing that she had stopped him from going back into the house.
During Camp Heart Songs, Daphne began to overcome her fears and was often seen offering hugs to the other children. The smile on her small face was uplifting to everyone. When Daphne bravely shared her story with other children, it included words of strength, hope, and encouragement.
According to Daphne, the grief counseling she received helped her value each moment of life and to use her father’s memory to help her through daily challenges.
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Your Support Matters
Children and teens often feel isolated in their grief and report feelings of sorrow, anger, confusion, and loneliness. Many hesitate to express their grief because it will upset others.
To help them heal, we offer intentional play exercises and other expressive activities. Sometimes acting out their grief can help them express feelings that they might otherwise manifest as depression and physical symptoms.
Grief support is especially important to prevent teens from turning to negative coping strategies while grieving. Counseling and peer connections empower and encourage them to feel safe expressing their emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
Counseling Is Free of Charge
Your support provides grief counseling free of charge to children and teens, even if the person who died was not a hospice patient. Support is also available for schools and other organizations, including training, grief support groups, remembrance services, and crisis support. Thank you for giving generously.