Children's Grief Awareness DaySM
Mark Your Calendar! In 2023, Children's Grief Awareness Day is Thursday, November 16!
Virtual Children's Grief Awareness Day
On Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, the Highmark Caring Place will host the Fourth Annual VIRTUAL Children's Grief Awareness Day.
The schedule of the day's presentations and activities is shown below.
Tune in to the Highmark Caring Place YouTube page where the videos will be available throughout the day and afterward on youtube.com/HighmarkCaringPlace for viewing at any time.
2023 Presentations
- Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers) — Presentation and conversation with grieving children who attend the Highmark Caring Place (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- AEW Wrestling — Interview with Brodie Lee Jr., 11-year-old son of AEW Wrestling Legend Brodie Lee (1979–2020), on Finding Hope in Grief (Tampa Bay, Florida)
- The Invisible String — Book Introduction & Reading by New York Times Best-Selling Author Patrice Karst (Ventura, California)
- The Invisible String Activity presented by the Highmark Caring Place
- Here for You Cards of Support — Illustration Tutorial by Artist & Illustrator Luke Flowers (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
- Create Your Own Card of Support Activity presented by the Highmark Caring Place
- Preview of the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters vs. Saginaw Spirit Special Children's Grief Awareness Day Promotional Hockey Game (Friday, November 17)
- Interview with Brett McCutcheon about The Ocean — Five Years, Brett's musical tribute written in loving memory of his brother Ryan (Wexford, Pennsylvania)
- Featuring the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and vocals by June Bracken and The Voice Finalist Chris Jamison
- Pause Naturally: Finding Eco-friendly Rituals to Help Us Take Time for Our Grief 3 Presentation by Kiri Meyer, Bereavement Programs Manager, Eluna (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- Flipping Your Grief Support Scripts presented by National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG)
- Supporting Kidds — A Grief Activity for Kids and Families (Hockessin, Delaware)
- Mandala Weaving/Happy Drum Activity presented by The Hummingbird Program, Penn State Health Children's Hospital (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
- Moment of Silence in Memory of those who have died, and in Honor of children grieving those losses
- Pause to Listen: Beats That Take You Back — Reveal of the 2023 Spotify Grief Tracks Playlist
- Songs submitted via our social media channels that help us feel supported and/or remind us of our loved ones
- Illuminating Hope — Create a memorial butterfly to add to the 2023 virtual mosaic mural at hope.highmarkcaringplace.com.
2022 Presentations
- Terese LaVallee, Highmark Caring Place, Executive Director (Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg & Warrendale, Pa.)
- Todd Parr, author of The Goodbye Book (Berkeley, CA)
- Terry Clarke Murphy & Christina Connors (Westminster, Md. & Greenwich, Conn.)
- Katie Lear, author of A Parent's Guide to Managing Childhood Grief (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Catia Chien, artist of My Blue Is Happy (São Paulo, Brazil)
- Jessica Young, author of My Blue Is Happy (Ontario, Canada)
- Tori Rehak, Brighter Days Grief Center (Eden Prairie, Minn.)
- Corrie Sirota, Myra’s Kids (Montreal, Quebec)
- Eleanor Haley, What's Your Grief? (Baltimore, Md.)
- Doug Dunbar, HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (Erie, Pa.)
- Melody Ray, author of Someone I Love Died from a Drug Overdose (Ebensburg, Pa.)
- Highmark Caring Place, Grief Talks Webinar (Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg & Warrendale, Pa.)
- Elizabeth Schandelmeier & Laura Rausch, Family Hospice, Part of UPMC (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Special Children's Grief Awareness Day Hockey Game (Saginaw, Mich. & Erie, Pa.)
- VIDEO — Preview of Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters vs. Saginaw Spirit special Children's Grief Awareness Day Hockey Game (original game postponed because of weather; rescheduled Erie Otters vs. Windsor Spitfires game played on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022)
- Amanda Huber from AEW Wrestling (Tampa Bay, Fla.)
- Brian Griese, former NFL Quarterback & Founder of Judi's House for Grieving Children and Families (Denver, Colo.)
- Hannah Pan, Judi's House for Grieving Children and Families (Denver, Colo.)
- National Alliance for Children's Grief (Lubbock, Texas)
- Terese LaVallee, Highmark Caring Place, Executive Director (Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg & Warrendale, Pa.)
- VIDEO — Children's Grief Awareness Day Closing
- 2022 Illuminating Hope Mosaic Mural reveal
- Moment of Remembrance
- Special Thank You for Supporting Children's Grief Awareness Day
- VIDEO — Children's Grief Awareness Day Closing
Links from 2021's Virtual Children's Grief Awareness Day
On Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Highmark Caring Place hosted the Second Annual VIRTUAL Children's Grief Awareness Day.
The schedule of the day's presentations and activities are shown below, including links to those Presentations and to the Activities Sheets that accompanied some presentations. All the videos are also available on a YouTube or Facebook playlist for viewing at any time.
- Terese LaVallee, Sally Wiggin, Merril Hoge, Vicki Jay, and Neil Walker — Children's Grief Awareness Day Kick-Off
- Valerie's House (Fort Myers, Naples & Punta Gorda, Florida)
- Josh & Gab (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Mollie Landman Hunker (Grove City, Pennsylvania)
- Brighter Days Grief Center (Eden Prairie, Minnesota)
- AgWorks Program (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
- Tracy Subisak, author of Jenny Mei Is Sad (Portland, Oregon)
- Grief Talks Webinar, Highmark Caring Place (Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg, Warrendale, Pennsylvania)
- Dr. Edith Eva Eger, Holocaust Survivor and author (La Jolla, California)
- National Alliance for Children's Grief (Lubbock, Texas)
- FRZY, recording artist (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- The Irish Childhood Bereavement Network (Dublin, Ireland)
- Roberta's House (Baltimore, Maryland)
- Trying Together (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- ACH Clear Pathways (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- "Beautiful Something Left Behind" Director Katrine Philp, Producer Katrine Sahlstrøm, and members of the cast (Copenhagen, Denmark & Robbinsville, New Jersey)
- 2021 Illuminating Hope Mosaic Mural reveal; Moment of Remembrance; "Hope" artwork creation & reveal by "Paints by Kait" (Seattle, Washington)
- A message from grieving children, families, and organizations who support grieving children from around the world
Links from 2020's Virtual Children's Grief Awareness Day
On Thursday, November 19, 2020, the Highmark Caring Place hosted the First Annual VIRTUAL Children's Grief Awareness Day.
Videos of the day's Presentations, along with links to the Activities Sheets which accompanied some of these presentations, remain available:
- Terese Vorsheck, Highmark Caring Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Faith & Julie, Teen & Parent Speakers on Grief and Support, from CORE, Center for Organ Recovery & Education
- VIDEO — Teen & Parent Speakers on Grief
- Judi's House (Denver, Colorado)
- Children's Grief Awareness Movie Bracket Challenge Winner Reveal
- Dr. David Fajgenbaum, National Best-Selling Author of Chasing My Cure
- VIDEO — A Conversation about Grief
- Grief Talks Webinar, Highmark Caring Place
- Susan Bernardo & Courtenay Fletcher, Author & Illustrator of Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs
- VIDEO — Book Reading & Activities
- LeVar Burton, Celebrity Guest, Author of The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm
- Langley Hospice Society (Langley City, British Columbia, Canada)
- Tiffany Papageorge, Author of My Yellow Balloon
- Ari, Young Adult Speaker on Grief and Support, from Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, Mountainside, New Jersey
- VIDEO — Young Adult Speaker on Grief
- VIDEO — Illuminating HOPE Virtual Mosaic Mural Presentation
- Create your own Butterfly at Hope.CaringPlace.com
- Thank You! from around the world for support of Children's Grief Awareness Day
