Dear Friends of Jessica's House,



As we enter the month of November, we often begin to shift our focus to the holidays. We are experiencing cooler days and longer nights, and this is when we hope our community will remember children who are grieving.

Children's Grief Awareness Day is observed every year on the third Thursday in November (the Thursday before the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving). This day is a reminder of how difficult the holiday season can be for a child after the death of someone they love.

Children's Grief Awareness Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one has on the life of a child and helps us remember the benefits children receive through support. Last week, one of the caregivers in our groups reported that before coming to Jessica’s House, her child was either shut down or displaying high emotional distress. Since attending group, her child talks about her feelings and uses the coping skills she learned to calm her mind and body when feeling overwhelmed.

We could never do this work without you. Thank you for all you do to create a stronger and healthier community by supporting the children and families we serve.

With my deepest gratitude,

Erin Nelson

Executive Director, Jessica's House

November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month and highlights the need to support children who are grieving. According to the CBEM (Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model), one out of thirteen children in the United States will experience the death of a parent or sibling by eighteen. This statistic doubles to one out of seven by the age of twenty-five. With these statistics, there’s a high likelihood that you know a child who is grieving. Here are some things they would like you to know about their grief:

• Children will always grieve the death of their loved ones. They will not ‘get over it’ or have ‘closure’.

• Children often feel isolated and believe they are the only person who has experienced a loss like theirs.

• You will not make them sad if you talk about the person who died. Children appreciate talking about their loved ones and like being asked about them.

• When a child experiences the death of someone close, their safety in the world is shaken. They may fear for the health and safety of their other caregiver or themselves.

• How a child is doing may not be outwardly visible. Just because a child isn’t talking about it or crying doesn’t mean they aren’t hurting.

• Recognize disruptive behaviors as something that teaches you what is happening under the surface. Often anger is the bodyguard for sadness or fear. A child's visible behaviors often reflect something bigger inside.

• With the holidays near, this can be a challenging time of year for children who are grieving. Holiday traditions that once held excitement will feel different without the presence of their loved one.

Supporting a child who is grieving can positively impact their healing process as they move toward their future.

Jessica's House Service Video

Plan ahead: Plan flexible activities and be honest when something is taxing your limited energy.

Ask for support when you need it: Let your friends know what would be helpful for you at this time.

Give yourself permission to feel: It’s okay to be sad, angry, or numb, even during the holidays.

Take care of yourself on a sensory level: What do I need to feel comfort right now? Is it a movie and hot cocoa? Your closest friends or family?

Honor the person who died: Start a holiday tradition in honor of the person who died. Maybe make their favorite dessert and share memories with them as you eat it.

Give yourself permission to celebrate: If you are looking forward to the holidays and enjoying the festivities, that is okay too. It is okay to be grieving and happy at the same time. 

Our Heart Circle community is remarkable and together we are building a sense of community for families in grief. Families need a place where they belong, where they can feel understood and accepted, and where they can find hope and healing during the darkest days of their lives.

Together we are building community with our schools, hospitals, funeral homes, and our first responders to ensure that no child in our community ever grieves alone. Most importantly our Heart Circle is creating a community of love and support, which in turn is changing the lives and outcomes of children and families in our community.

For that we are eternally grateful.

Together we have raised $948,792.27 in new pledges this year and are so close to reaching our goal of $1 million in pledges by the end of the year. There is still time to join this incredible community and add your name to our Heart Circle wall. For pledges received before December 31, 2022, hearts will be added to the wall in the lobby. The Heart Circle wall will then close at the end of the year.

We hope you will consider joining this generous group of Jessica’s House supporters. Your support ensures that children, teens, young adults, and their adult caregivers have a safe place to grieve and receive the support they need at Jessica’s House.

Since August, we have welcomed 17 new Heart Circle contributors. These wonderful community friends help ensure that a family in grief never needs to worry about paying for the support Jessica’s House uniquely provides.

Jade level

Legacy Health Endowment*

Amber level

D.A. Wood Construction

Poppy level

John Miles & Priscilla Peters*

Jodi Karambela/Integral Wealth Management

Indigo level

Patti Greer

Kent and Ginger Johnson

Magda Hernandez & Mark Hernandez

Mike and Dana Schmidt

Darrell and Michelle DiGiovanni

Dr. Kolody

Lifestyle Realty

Anonymous

Scarlet level

Scott and Nancy Atherton

Brad and Lori Quillen

The Amarant Family

Jim and Carrie Burden

The Little Red Door

*Current Heart Circle members who made new

commitments to our Heart Circle Drive.

Jessica’s House is so grateful to all 201 Heart Circle contributors!

For more information about the Jessica’s House Heart Circle call 209-250-5395 or 

visit online at www.jessicashouse.org/heart-circle.  

What a beautiful evening shared with our wonderful donors, building community around the dinner table. Thank you to all 144 attendees who joined us for our second annual Harvest Dinner.

Eating together gives us the opportunity to talk, laugh, share, and connect with one another. In fact, choosing to share a dining table with somebody else gives both parties a sense of belonging and self-worth, which is exactly what we strive to do for families coming to Jessica’s House.

This event would not have been possible without the support from many. A special thanks to Alex Lucero for the wonderful music and Hilmar Cheese for the delicious fall meal. Thank you to our Décor Darlings and all our amazing volunteers who came to help with the event. We are so grateful to Julie, Beth, Lindsay, Darci, and Trisha for their creative ideas and bringing our vision to life with the table decorations. We are also thankful to RAM Farms for donating our beautiful pumpkins and Laurie Moore for the beautiful garlands and florals. We love our community of supporters!

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