Children’s Grief Awareness Day on Nov. 18

Augusta. National Children’s Grief Awareness Day (NCGAD) was created in 2008 by Highmark Caring Place and is observed the Thursday before Thanksgiving. This year’s date is November 18.

This initiative is meant to bring awareness to grieving children, often the forgotten mourners. Many times, the adults or older siblings are entrenched in their own grief, leaving young grievers without the support they need.

The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center, located in Augusta, N.J., can help a grieving child. Many times, children are unable to find the words to express their grief. The center uses play, music, art, and books to help them give voice to their grief and process their loss.

Wear blue on Nov. 18 to pay tribute to the blue butterfly named Hope. Hope the butterfly was created to spread this message of hope to grieving children across the world. For more information visit http://childrensgriefawarenessay.org/cgad2/pdf/butterfly/pdf.

The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center says, “No one can just take away a child’s grief. No one can bring back the person who has died. But we can show grieving children that they’re not alone. We can show them we care. We can show them we’re there for them.”

To find out more about grief counseling services, call 973-948-2283.