News from Dougy Center, December 2025

Upcoming Events

WEBINARS

Uncharted Territory: Supporting Children and Families Living with an Advanced Serious Illness January 22, 2026 Find out more and register

Becoming Grief-Informed: Foundations of Grief Education
February 19, 2026. Find out more and register

Tips for when you're grieving during the winter holidays

The pressures around the holidays can be even more challenging after the death of a family member. Remembering and honoring the person who died in a special way can often help.

Here are a few ideas to consider that may help as you navigate the challenges, This Holiday Plan Worksheet can also help you work through these decisions together as a family.

Light a memorial candle. Invite children and other friends/family to share memories.
Write a card or letter to the person who died.
Write memories on strips of paper and use them to create a paper chain.
Buy a gift the person would have liked and donate it to a charity.
Set a special memorial place at the table during a holiday meal.
Share one of the person’s favorite foods or meals. Food can be a great spark for sharing memories.

Find additional tips on grieving during the winter holidays and the holiday plan worksheet here.

Grief Out Loud Episodes
Dougy Center also has a series of Grief Out Loud conversations filled with tips and suggestions for how to navigate the holiday season. Tune in here:

The 29th Annual Porsche Boxster Raffle is here!

Support families who are grieving by participating in the 29th Annual Dougy Center Porsche Boxster Raffle. You could win this brand new Porsche Boxster valued at $72,738.

Tickets are just $100 each and only 2,500 tickets will be sold.

The winning ticket will be drawn on May 8, 2026 at the Dougy Center's Reflection Benefit & Auction.

In addition, ticket holders will have the opportunity to win three $500 drawings. Drawings for the $500 cash prizes will be held on February 6, 2026, March 6, 2026, and April 10, 2026.

Special thank you to Porsche Beaverton for their generous support of Dougy Center and the Porsche Boxster Raffle.

Purchase tickets and find more information here.

Meet the Tank Family

“In the blink of an eye, your whole world can change.”

That’s how Tammy Tank described it when her husband, Tim, died of brain cancer at 50.

Tim’s death left a hole in the Tank family. Feeling alone and unsure of the future, Tammy and her two children, 10-year-old Allison and 12-year-old Andrew, turned to Dougy Center for grief support.

At first, her children were hesitant. “I just didn’t want to help my grief recover. I just wanted to be by myself, curled up in a little ball,” said Allison.

But soon, the kids found support with a community of peers who were going through a similar experience. “It was enough to just be around people who have gone through what I’ve gone through. Who’ve lost a parent,” Andrew shared.

For Tammy, the parent/caregivers group opened up a network of understanding and support amidst the uncertainty of their lives. “I just had this exhale — like, I’m somewhere I don’t have to pretend to fit in.”

Your support helps Dougy Center continue to provide critically important grief support and resources to families like the Tanks at no charge to them. Find out more and make a year-end gift to Dougy Center here.

Year-end tax updates for donors

Beginning in 2026, new federal tax rules will change how charitable deductions work for many taxpayers, and this could impact your giving for 2025.

Non-itemizers will be able to deduct a modest amount of charitable gifts for the first time, while itemizers—especially higher-income donors—may see limits on the value of their deductions. These changes may shift how and when donors choose to give, so planning ahead will help you maximize both your impact and your tax benefit.

Find information on how to maximize your year-end donation here, or contact Dougy Center's Development Team.

dougy.org · help@dougy.org · 503.775.5683