News from Dougy Center, August 2021

Upcoming Events National Grief Awareness Day August 30 Goin' Big Golf Classic September 10 Find out more  Listen Here

Hillsboro Groups Have a New Home When Dougy Center’s in-person groups start again this fall, families who attend groups on Portland’s west side will have a new space to call home. As a result of the pandemic, we were forced to move from our previous Hillsboro location, but we are thrilled to announce our new location and partnership with KLA Schools, a private kindergarten and day care. In searching for a new home, KLA Schools of Hillsboro generously offered their bright, beautiful, family-friendly space for us to host biweekly support groups. KLA Schools is committed to giving back to the community, and becoming Dougy Center’s new west-side home aligns with their mission. Hosting groups at KLA Schools of Hillsboro offers families a larger, more comfortable space. Because we can now offer more than one group at a time, the new location is much more convenient for families with children from different age groups. There is also ample parking and a safe outdoor play space for kids and teens. We are extremely grateful to KLA Schools and look forward to welcoming families to in-person groups this September.

Make an Impact Through the Smooth Stone Circle

Named for the smooth stones kids and teens receive when they close from their Dougy Center grief group, the Smooth Stone Circle provides ongoing support in the form of recurring donations to Dougy Center’s grief support programs. Members of the Smooth Stone Circle join a large community of individuals who are dedicated to Dougy Center’s mission to provide a safe space at no cost for children and families who are grieving before and after a death. Your recurring gift will ensure that Dougy Center continues to be there for children and families who are grieving now and into the future. Your gift will help smooth the rough spots. When someone closes from a Dougy Center group, they receive smooth stones as well as a rough rock. The rough rock represents the grief that they will always carry with them, and the smooth stones symbolize the rough edges of their grief that have smoothed out through their time at Dougy Center.  For more information and to join the Smooth Stone Circle, visit the Smooth Stone Circle webpage.

Create a Family Story Tree: Activity for All Ages One way to remember and feel closer to your person who died is to hear and tell stories about their life. We all have stories we like to share. Some are funny, some may be sad, but they all say something about the person and the life they lived.  In this activity, download this activity sheet and cut out the branch and the leaves. Write a memory or draw a picture about your person on some of the leaves. Ask other family members to write stories or memories on the other leaves. Place the leaves on the branch and hang it in your home. You can print more branches and leaves as you collect more stories about your person who died.

Welcome New Volunteers! We're excited to welcome 40 new volunteer facilitators to the Dougy Center family! Our new volunteers completed an application process and two-day training, and will now be able to work directly with kids, teens, young adults, and adult family members in our grief support program. Dougy Center volunteers make our Pathways and Bereavement programs possible, and are a crucial part of Dougy Center's mission. If you would like to become a volunteer facilitator, or would like more information, visit the volunteer page on our website or complete this volunteer application.

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