PRESS RELEASE: December 14, 2007 For Immediate Release

MEDIA CONTACT:
Beverly Crowl, Public Relations Specialist
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Volunteer Kerry Alphin, Michael Arnett, Jeremiah Murray, Tevin Wiggins, New Hope Coordinator Lezley Sexton, C.J. Baker, and Caleb Cresson take a nature walk through the grounds of Harmony Hollow at Delaware Hospice’s New Hope Holiday Workshop.

Delaware Hospice recently held a New Hope Holiday Workshop for children and teens who are coping with the loss of a loved one. Delaware Hospice’s Director of Inpatient Services for the Delaware Hospice Center, Laurie Vonasek, and her husband Stan hosted the event at their farm, Harmony Hollow, in Ellendale. Delaware Hospice’s New Hope Coordinator Lezley Sexton directed the busy day of activities with the goal of dealing with grief in a safe, supportive environment.

The New Hope Holiday workshop is designed to help children currently enrolled in the New Hope Program prepare themselves for the challenges of dealing with grief and loss issues during the holiday season. The workshop incorporates hands-on bereavement activities that focused on coping with grief and loss issues, remembering their loved ones, and activities that facilitated encouragement and hope. These activities were balanced with fun activities, like pony rides and nature walks.

One particularly effective bereavement activity is the metaphor of using a flower pot as a symbol of life, and then smashing the pot to represent how your life feels broken after the loss of a loved one. By gluing the pot back together, it helps the children see that although their lives are forever changed, they can become whole again. The cracks in the pot represent the scars on their hearts. Then by placing a plant in their pot, they can see that new life and good things can come from their rebuilding. Their hearts, like the rebuilt flower pot, can still support New Hope and new life.

The clay pots, plants, and soil for the clay pot activity were generously donated by the wonderful ladies of the Sussex Garden Club, represented by Jenifer Hagy and Cass Hall, who volunteered their time to help with this activity.

There are steps that can be taken by parents or guardians who wish to help grieving children through the holidays.

• Acknowledge the loss and honor the loved one in a way that’s best for the family. You might light a candle or have a moment of silence during your traditional celebrations.
• Acknowledge a change in family traditions and include the child in making new customs and traditions.
• Encourage your children to express their feelings no matter what they are. Listen to your child and don’t judge their feeling and thoughts. Let them know that it’s okay to feel nothing at all, to express sadness, to laugh, to have fun and to remember their loved one.
• Create a time for sharing special memories about your loved ones, whether these memories are happy or sad.
• Or, call New HopeCoordinator, Lezley Sexton, if you need further assistance at 856-7717 or 678-4444.

About New Hope
Delaware Hospice established New Hope as a specialized bereavement service tailored to the needs of grieving children. New Hope offers individual and family support, grief groups at schools, information about child grief and loss, in-services for professional agencies centered around grief and loss, a summer bereavement camp, holiday workshops, and other services based upon the family’s needs. New Hope is a free service and open to children between ages 6 and 17 years and their families. Anyone may be referred to New Hope for help coping with grief and loss. For more information about how to enroll your child in the program or for how you can support the program, call Lezley Sexton at 856-7717 or 678-4444.