As we begin looking toward Spring and warmer months ahead, let’s take a few moments to reflect on the past few months in our new hoe amidst the spread of the Omicron COVID variant. We were thankful to be able to begin the year with in person group meetings. Unfortunately, by the end of December, we had to revert to virtual meetings. We are thrilled to see the COVID numbers moving in the right direction and look forward to welcoming our families back at the beginning of March.
We always say it takes a village to support a grieving family, and recently, our village came through! We were so excited to show and shower our families with love in our Operation: Community Cares #LoveLivesOn. This ongoing pandemic has not been easy on any of us, and our families – particularly those who are solo parenting – have felt that strain. Families stopped by recently to pick up special care packages and to decorate a heart to remind us all that #LoveLivesOn. With that, a huge thank you to our community partners for brightening our JP families’ day: Apex Entertainment Center, Edible Arrangements, Rail Trail Flatbread Co. Release Well-Being Center and ScrubaDub Car Wash.
Program Update
Last month, we introduced you to the next generation of #GriefMOVES at Jeff’s Place and are so grateful that the Haley Cremer Foundation and The Parmenter Foundation recognize the power of mindfulness and movement as a method of support and healing through the grief process.
If you’re not familiar with how these methods can be supportive, allow us to introduce you to a mindfulness technique called the “felt sense” or interoception.
Interoceptive awareness is the ability to identify, access, understand, and respond to the internal signals in the body. At the most basic level, interoception can be defined as the sense that allows us to answer the question, “How do I feel?”
The emotional suffering we feel when something or someone we love is taken away can be overwhelming and can keep us from noticing what is happening in our body and in our thoughts. Avoiding emotional pain takes a tremendous amount of energy, and though there is no right or wrong way to grieve, our emotions and sensations can be helpful companions in the healing process.
When the waves of grief come we can use interoception to “feel to heal” by taking the time to acknowledge our pain, practice self-compassion, and give ourselves time and space to heal by taking some breaths.
Grandparents Support Group
This virtual, daytime group is designed for grandparents whose grandchild experienced the death of a parent or sibling. This group will run virtually twice a month. Click here to fill out our application, or send inquiries to [email protected].
Jeff’s Place Communal Art Project
This year, every child who walks through our door will have the chance to add a strip of blue tape to the wall. The tape can be as long as their arm span or as short as their pinky finger. The only rule is that each piece of tape must connect to at least one other piece as a way of reminding everyone in the Jeff’s Place community that they are not alone in their grief journey. At the end of the year, the pieces of tape stripped away, but the connections made will remain.
Make an IMPACT, Consider a Gift
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
Jeff’s Place is dedicated to continuing to support grieving families as our services expand. We need your help to make that happen. We invite you to invest in the future of Jeff’s Place. Over the next two years, Phase II of our capital campaign, Jeff’s Place plans to raise $1,000,000. These funds will allow us to pay down our mortgage, maintain our new home, complete our outdoor oasis and fund our national research initiative.
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“I have a five year old who lost both parents two years ago. We had quite the struggle finding support for this kind of grief counseling, especially in a child so young. The counselors and volunteers at Jeff’s Place are so warm and inviting. They all know and understand what you and your children are going through and can support you throughout the healing process. We are so grateful that we found them. My child thrives in the environment and is able to open up and talk with like-minded children and adults. We are incredibly blessed for finding these caring, amazing people at Jeff’s Place.”
– Jeff’s Place family
