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The Story of Our Logo

Caring Place logo

For a quarter century, the Highmark Caring Place has been helping children and their families find hope in their grief.

As we celebrate our 25th anniversary year, we are excited to announce our updated logo which highlights this hope.

Through the years, the mission of the Highmark Caring Place has remained the same — to make a difference in the lives of grieving children and their families. We will continue to uphold this mission into the next 25 years and beyond, as we work to help children FIND HOPE IN GRIEF.

"Even though my heart was broken when my brother died, the butterfly means that it won't always hurt so bad."

Danielle's original heart and butterful drawing

A broken heart. A butterfly of hope. The symbol of the Caring Place was created from this original drawn by Dan LaVallee at age 8 when he attended the very first support group following the death of his brother. The image holds great meaning, as a symbol of both the pain of loss and the hope for healing.

The image of the cracked heart reflects the reality that when someone we love has died, our hearts remain broken. But that cracked heart is not the end of the story.

The butterfly — a symbol of the renewal of life, of new life emerging — shows the hope that "it won't always hurt so bad."

Especially with the support of others who care, when a child is able to face their grief, to reflect on and share their stories of the one who died, to express their thoughts and feelings and memories, through words or artwork or in other ways, they find that the pain of the grief can lessen over time.

This symbol — the broken heart and butterfly — becomes very meaningful to the children and teens who attend the Caring Place. The Caring Place invites children to feel their true feelings, while also finding hope in grief.