Since Hermann Sons Life landed on grief support services as a focused service cause, I’ve had several experiences that make me feel stronger and stronger about this cause.

The first experience was at the end of July, when Vice President-Fraternal Kim Krueger, Executive Camp Director Katie Klohn and I visited Camp El Tesoro de la Vida Grief Camp. We were blown away by the volunteer staff. First of all, it is common in the camp community to have a spirit of caring and sharing, and the leaders of this camp certainly followed that trend. From the camp director to the lead therapist to the office staff, it was clear that the most important thing to them is to help children – and they were happy to share information about their program and the need for grief support services for children.

The Camp El Tesoro de la Vida program and people are amazing. If you’re looking for a way to get involved in supporting grief support programs in the Fort Worth area, this is definitely a good program to explore. Support could even mean attending a fund-raising event.

Community Service Coordinator Laura Adams has been working hard at providing grief support resources for our website. She also reached out to the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas and arranged a visit of their facility and a meeting with one of their therapists. This was another very moving experience.

I think the most impressive part about the work being done through the Center is the intentionality of every detail in every piece of service they provide. You can read about their various programs here. Not only do they provide support following death, but they also provide support when someone is living with the anticipation of the death of a loved one.

Especially for lodges in the San Antonio area, here is a great way to get involved around Make a Difference Day:

Groups can sponsor and serve meals for families at the Center. Take the opportunity to “unite and comfort grieving families while serving a meal,” as the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas’ website explains. All of the information you need, including how to sign up, is on their website. We have some great cooks at Hermann Sons Life, so this could be right up your lodge’s alley!

As Laura said, “It’s that much better to prepare a meal and actually get to see the recipients enjoying it.”

There is also a space that could be utilized if lodges are looking to have a meeting after they’re finished serving and cleaning up the meal.

You can also tour the Center’s facility or request a 15-60 minute presentation at your location about the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas’ services and information about children and grief.

We have numerous resources for getting involved in grief support services or for receiving grief support. Just contact us if you need any help with ideas and resources.

I think the hardest part about grief support services and all that is possible is doing justice to explaining how special some of these programs are. All I can say is that places and programs like Camp El Tesoro de la Vida and the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas are beyond inspiring.  feel so fortunate to work for and be a member of Hermann Sons Life, especially at a time when we’re emphasizing the importance of grief support services and at a time when we’re preparing to launch our first-ever grief support camp session at our own incredible camp.

You can be part of the grief support session’s success by making a donation today.

Do you know of other grief support services that aren’t on our website or weren’t mentioned here? If so, please comment below.