Newman’s Own Sponsors Balloon Release for 2009 National TAPS Good Grief Camp
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 22, 2008
PHOTO AVAILABLE
WASHINGTON –For the children and teens who are war’s tiniest survivors, the balloon release at the TAPS Good Grief Camp is a way to connect with the dads, moms, brothers and sisters they’ve lost. When 300+ children send balloons carrying notes into the skies during the 2009 camp, held near Washington, D.C. over Memorial Day Weekend, the release will be sponsored with a grant from Newman’s Own.
For the last fourteen years, children attending the camp have written messages to the people they’ve lost, attached them to balloons and sent them skyward. The messages may carry an update on family news, or relay milestones like learning to ride a bike or getting ready for a school dance. The notes may delve deeper, expressing how a child feels about the void left in their lives by loss, and also the strength they have found to cope.
“Children need specialized support to deal with their grief,” said Bonnie Carroll, founder and chairman of TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. “When we held our first Good Grief Camp, now almost fifteen years ago, we relied on advice from bereavement professionals, who indicated it would be beneficial for child survivors to have a connection point with the people they’ve lost through a balloon release.”
Military children in particular, experience secondary losses following a death. In addition to losing a parent, the family may move from military base housing and leave the last home they lived in with that parent. The family may also feel ripped away from the military community and the structure it provides.
“Just as adults don’t want to upset the parent left behind, children will also bottle up their feelings about the death and hold things inside,” said Carroll. The Good Grief Camp for young survivors provides a safe place for connection and sharing. Instead of being the only kid at school who lost a dad in a war, a child becomes part of a peer group of children their own age, who have all experienced similar types of losses.
Children attending the camp are also paired up with a mentor, someone who has recently served or is currently serving in the military, and is trained in working with children coping with the aftershocks of traumatic loss. For many, said Carroll, the friendships built with their mentors last all year long.
The Newman’s Own grant award will support the balloon release for the organization’s 15th annual Good Grief Camp for young military survivors.
A total of $75,000 in grant awards were distributed to fifteen nonprofit organizations during a ceremony at the Pentagon earlier this month. General James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff presided over the awards ceremonies, and was joined by Fisher House Foundation trustee Tammy Fisher; Tom Indoe, President of Newman’s Own; and Elaine Howard, President of the Army Times Publishing Company. The awards competition was sponsored by Newman’s Own, the Fisher House Foundation, and the Military Times Media Group.
TAPS is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America’s fallen military heroes. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, seminars, case work assistance, and 24/7 crisis intervention care for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org or call the toll-free crisis line at 800.959.TAPS.
Media Contact: Ami Neiberger-Miller, Public Affairs Officer, TAPS, phone 202.588.8277, ami@taps.org
PHOTO CAPTION
Children attending the 14th Annual Good Grief Camp for young survivors organized by TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, send balloons skyward with messages for the loved ones they’ve lost. The 2009 balloon release will be sponsored with a grant provided by Newman’s Own. For more information about TAPS, go to www.taps.org.
Photo may be requested by contacting ami@taps.org.
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Communications & Public Affairs Officer
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
910 17th Street, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
Downtown office 202.588.8277
Home office 703.404.4312
Cellular 703.887.4877
Email ami@taps.org
Website www.taps.org
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