LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Hospice and Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center, in collaboration with Life’s Bridges and Circles of Life, are teaming up to provide a quarterly ‘ohana night, where grieving families and individuals in the community are welcome to meet in
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Hospice and Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center, in collaboration with Life’s Bridges and Circles of Life, are teaming up to provide a quarterly ‘ohana night, where grieving families and individuals in the community are welcome to meet in a safe environment, enjoy a free meal together, and participate in an intergenerational activity program which promotes emotional healing, states a press release.
The next ‘ohana night is July 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at QLCC on Kali Road near The Garden Island here.
Participation is free and open to the public.
This quarter’s activity will be the making of positive-affirmation cards and acknowledging the power of thoughts to assist in healing after the death of a loved one, the release states.
Anyone who wishes to attend is encouraged to call ahead so there will be enough food and supplies for the activity.
“It has been said that grief is a love story — you only hurt and grieve because you have suffered the loss of someone you love so deeply,” said the Rev. Caroline Miura, bereavement and spiritual-care coordinator at Kaua‘i Hospice.
“The longer you live, the more death and loss you will encounter; thus, the more grief you will experience. Our Garden Island community knows this all too well,” said Miura.
What’s unique about this partnership is that this is a collaboration with all four of Kaua‘i’s grief-support organizations, working together to try to bring Kaua‘i families an intergenerational activity program to promote healing among all members of an ‘ohana, said Jennifer Cheek of Kaua‘i Hospice.
A previous session’s activities focused on the healing power of laughter. Pastor Paul Kirchner from the Lihu‘e Lutheran Church told humorous personal antidotes and encouraged participants to share some of their own lighter moments as well.
Another session involved the making of memory boxes to store special mementos of a loved one who had died. A couple dozen children and their families personalized their special boxes before sharing them with the group.
In June, Kaua‘i Hospice and QLCC also partnered to provide a day-long bereavement training for 40 state Department of Education and Mokihana Project staff, counselors, community mental-health workers and pastors to provide the necessary tools to support those they serve on a regular basis.
Kaua‘i Hospice’s bereavement program follows families up to 13 months after the death of a loved one, offering various forms of support, the release states.
They are also available to assist businesses when an unexpected death occurs in the workplace or in the community.
The mission of Kaua‘i Hospice is to ensure the highest quality of life possible for individuals and their families facing a life-threatening illness; to provide bereavement support to individuals, and to promote an understanding of Hospice services.
For more information about Kaua‘i Hospice and its programs, see www.kauaihospice.org of call 245-7277.
The mission of the QLCC is to help “orphan children” following the death of one or both parents, with preference given to those of Hawaiian ancestry.
Hawaiian families can become involved through a combination of individual, group or community services. The focus of support is in the context of the ‘ohana (family) and their kaumaha (grief). See www.qlcc.org to learn more about QLCC and its programs.
Life’s Bridges offers islandwide emergency-response services to assist visitors and residents alike in dealing with the sudden death of a loved one, the release states.
The group’s goal is to bridge the gap between grief and healing. Upon notification of a sudden or accidental death on Kaua‘i, the Bridges Emergency Support Tea is dispatched through the coordinated efforts of the Kaua‘i Police Department and Kaua‘i Fire Department.
Their specially-trained volunteers are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be reached by calling 651-6637.
Circles of Light is a creative-arts program outreach to youth islandwide.
Circles of Light provides artistic, creative activities at annual events on island, including the Eastside Family Summit and the Hanapepe Orchid and Arts Festival.
They are also involved in The Hands Project, Women in Development and World Peace Project for Children.
This year Bridges and Circles have concentrated on the elementary schools, providing monthly Good Grief support groups using art and information on grief to help students understand their feelings and give them tools to cope and heal. See www.circlesoflight.org for more information.
