Amanda the Panda Can Help in Times of Loss or Grief

I recently received the following email from the local Amanda the Panda group. I highly recommend this organization if you, and especially your children, are in need of support and education in the area of grief and loss. If you have recently had a death in the family and have kids, even teenagers, please consider Amanda the Panda as a resource. Note that they have an 8-week session starting in the next 10 days and it is all free. Please contact me or Amanda the Panda directly if you have questions or would like to register.

From Amanda the Panda:

"Greetings from Amanda the Panda Grief Center,

Our next 8-week session of peer grief support groups will meet every Monday at 5:45 pm starting January 17th at our grief center (see address below). Any of your students who have experienced the death of a family member or friend may attend free of charge. We will serve a hot meal and then the children will break into small groups by grade levels. Teens, young adults, and adults will also meet separately at the same time, and child care is provided for preschoolers and younger. This enables the entire family to attend. We will wrap up each night by 7:30 pm. Following our 8-week session, participants will be offered a weekend grief camp as well as several “fun days” that provide reunions for all the families throughout the year.

Please encourage your student’s guardians to contact me through our website, email, or simply call the number listed below to find out how to register. In order to keep the peer groups at a comfortable size, we limit registration. Please let any interested families know that they should sign up by January 14th.

You may have seen information on channel 13 (WHO) last Saturday that incorrectly stated that Amanda the Panda offers grief counseling. Just to clarify, we offer peer support as well as grief education. Our goal is connect children, teens and adults with a group of peers that share a similar experience and can encourage each other. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal. We focus on sharing, memorializing the deceased, and learning ways of coping. Of course all the children are given permission to play and have fun. They look forward to “hanging out” with other kids who truly understand what it is like to adjust to the death of a loved one.

Thank you for referring families in our community to Amanda the Panda.

Cindy Meek

Program Coordinator

1000 - 73rd Street, Suite 12

Windsor Heights, IA 50324

515.223.4847 - phone

515.223.4782 - fax

cindy@amandathepanda.org

www.amandathepanda.org