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Recognizing Thursday, November 19, 2020 as Children's Grief Awareness Day and honoring the work of Uplift Center for Grieving Children to meet the emotional needs of grieving children in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Children's Grief Awareness Day was created in 2008 by the Highmark Caring Place and has since been recognized and observed by organizations around the world every year on the third Thursday in November; and
WHEREAS, This time of year is an especially appropriate time to support grieving children as the holiday season becomes a difficult time of year after a death of a loved one; and
WHEREAS, Children's Grief Awareness Day seeks to bring attention to the fact that emotional support can make all the difference in the life of a grieving child. It provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one has on the life of a child, which is easy to overlook during a difficult time. The day reminds us to support opportunities to make sure that children receive the emotional support they desperately require when grieving and moving forward; and
WHEREAS, More than ever, the children of Philadelphia are experiencing alarming rates of trauma, violence, and grief from the devastating results of COVID-19, substance use disorder, and gun violence in the City of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Uplift Center for Grieving Children ("Uplift") was founded in 1995 by the Bereavement Program at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children and incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 2000. Uplift offers peer support groups for children, teens, and young adults from kindergarten through 12th grade who have experienced the death of someone significant in their lives; and
WHEREAS, Peer support groups and a caring adult presence help to reduce the feelings of isolation and loneliness that children often experience after death. Like adults, children experiencing loss need a listening and understanding ear which Uplift work...
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