Nelson County Children Benefit from Hospice of the Piedmont Kids’ Grief and Healing Program

 In July 2024, NCCF provided a grant to Hospice of the Piedmont (HOP). The grant enabled HOP to offer Kids’ Grief and Healing program to Nelson County children and teens free of cost whether their loved one received care from Hospice of the Piedmont.

The journey through grief and loss may be difficult and lonely, especially for children and adolescents, who are sometimes forgotten grievers. 

Grieving children need a safe place to express the sadness, anger, and fear related to loss — developing important coping skills through this process.

Funding from the Nelson County Community Fund provided specialized children’s grief counselor support for three bereaved children in Nelson County during the past year. Counselors worked with students at Nelson Middle School, Nelson High School and the North Branch School providing free art therapy and bereavement.

Children Participating in One of the Journey’s Grief Camps

Journey’s Grief Camps

In addition, during the past year, Hospice of the Piedmont conducted three Journey’s Grief Camps in partnership with The Dairy Market (winter), Triple C (spring) and Verdun Adventure Bound (summer). A fourth camp is scheduled for the fall in partnership with The Living Earth School (upcoming in the fall). The Journey’s Grief Camps supported 79 grieving children and families across Central Virginia, allowing campers to connect with others to learn they are not alone in their grief.

Community Outreach Initiatives

Grief counselors were also active in their community outreach efforts to help build awareness of childhood grief and the free services that our Kids’ program can offer. Last November, schools in Nelson County, as well as other local agencies, were given a packet of materials and resources during Children’s Grief Awareness Month.

In addition, we also mailed grief resource materials to all pediatricians in our entire service area, including Nelson County, as part of our expanded efforts at outreach and in hopes of generating more referrals for those in need of our Kids’ program.

Thank You Nelson County Community Fund!

Hospice of the Piedmont (HOP) is deeply grateful for the grant provided by the Nelson County Community Fund to support the vital work of our Kids’ Grief and Healing program supporting Nelson County’s children as they navigate loss.