St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network Announces Funding for Children's Bereavement Program

Ryan's Tree for Grieving Children receives support from Highmark Healthy High 5

Bethlehem, PA (3/9/2009) – Officials from Hospice of St. Luke's and the Highmark Foundation announced Monday that funding has been provided by Highmark Healthy High 5, an initiative of the Highmark Foundation, to support the Hospice children's bereavement program.

Ryan's Tree for Grieving Children is a guided peer support program for children and adolescents grieving the loss of a family member or friend. Founded on the belief that young people grieve in their own way, staff and trained volunteers provide support in a nurturing environment to promote healing of children and teens affected by death.

“We know that the death of a loved one is a very difficult experience for children and adolescents,” said Yvonne Cook, president of the Highmark Foundation. “We are proud to support Ryan's Tree as they offer the guidance and encouragement needed to help children in the region grieve the death of a loved one.”

Keith Boroch, President, Visiting Nurse Association of St. Luke's, welcomed the group to the event on behalf of the Visiting Nurse Association of St. Luke's and St. Luke's Hospice, which oversee the hospital's bereavement programs and support groups.

Learning About Grief With Other Kids

The Ryan's Tree for grieving children bereavement program is available to children ages 5 – 18. The program consists of developmental and age-appropriate break out sessions which enable facilitators to lead discussions and activities that are best suited for each group. The sessions offer a safe place for children to share and learn about grief with other kids who have experienced a death. The kids and our staff also interact through various activities of art, writing and physical release.

Carol Ritter, Secretary, Visiting Nurse Association Board of Directors, said, “I am honored to be here this evening as a representative of the VNA Board of Directors. It's inspiring to hear the good energy that the staff and volunteers of Ryan's Tree bring to the lives of grieving children. I was saddened to learn that 1 in 20 children experience a death before they complete high school…1 in 20. As I look around the room, I realize that it means a lot of loved ones were taken from the lives of our children, of us, too soon. And that statistic reinforces the need for Ryan's Tree to be available to our community. I am proud that together we can offer this program to provide unconditional support to the young people who are experiencing the death of a friend or family member.”

"The Ryan's Tree for grieving children bereavement program is available to children ages 5 – 18," said Rev. Anne Huey, MDiv, Support Services Coordinator, St. Luke's Hospice. "We hold developmental and age appropriate break out sessions so our facilitators are better able to lead discussions and activities that are best suited for each group. The sessions offer a safe place for children to share and learn about grief with other kids who have experienced a death. The kids and our staff also interact through various activities of art, writing and physical release. Ryan's Tree offers the guidance and support many families need in order to help maintain a positive home environment, identify a support system and to encourage family communication. With 4000 children grieving in the Lehigh Valley on any given day, children's bereavement programs are so very important to offer in our community. We are so thankful to Rev. Alf Halvorson at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem as well as Rev. MaryAnn Hamm at St. John's Lutheran Church, Fogelsville for working with us to offer the programs."

Special Thanks to Highmark Foundation

Erin McLean, MA, St. Luke's Hospice Children's Bereavement Coordinator expressed her appreciation to the representatives of the Highmark Foundation for their partnership and support of the Ryan's Tree program. "We at Ryan's Tree for Grieving Children thank Highmark Healthy High 5 so much for providing us with funding to hold additional sessions and we plan to launch more session locations across the Valley through this funding. When you consider that at any given time there are approximately 4,000 grieving children and teens in the Lehigh Valley, the support from Highmark Healthy High 5 validates the need for the guidance and support we offer grieving children and their families during this challenging time in their lives. Highmark compassionately and passionately acknowledges the importance of the work we do." She added, "With their support, we've already been able to. With this anticipated growth, there comes a monumental need for additional volunteer support and continued financial support for the program; we hope to hear from more people who are interested in supporting our program."

Two past participants of Ryan's Tree, sisters Skylar and Madison, were on hand to speak about their experiences with the program. With it being the anniversary of their father's death, the program gave them the opportunity to honor him through sharing stories in his memory. Skylar shared, "At Ryan's Tree, I feel better because I have kids that are my age that I can talk to about it and can understand how I feel. And I feel safe here and I know I don't have to worry about being teased. I have other friends, too, but I'm able to make new friends at Ryan's Tree." Skylar brought her Memory Bear along – the bear she made out of her father's clothes during a Ryan's Tree session that she takes with her almost everywhere she goes. "This was one of my favorite thing to do (at Ryan's Tree). I like to take my Daddy bear with me when I'm not at home."

Ryan's Tree for grieving children is offered in six week sessions throughout the year with one-day specialty camps held several times during the year. Sessions are held at locations conveniently located throughout the Lehigh Valley with no fees charged to participants. McLean added, "Grief is a process and a journey, not a one time event that we start and finish. Children are welcome to participate in as many sessions as necessary so they may receive the support needed to grieve the loss of their loved one. There are many participants who come continuously and others who may come back after two, maybe even three, years after they participated in their first session. This is because children and teens may have a renewal of their grief at various times throughout their entire lives, often during times that remind them of the reality that their loved one is no longer physically present such as birthdays, holidays or graduation. We acknowledge that each individual's grief journey is unique and these events may cause the child to spiral through their grief once again, reawakening feelings of sadness, anger, fear and guilt. Over all, we encourage the children to remember their loved ones, knowing that this continued bond can help sustain them throughout their lives."

Attendees and supporters of the program were then able to observe a partial Ryan’s Tree session.

St. Luke's officials announced the launch of the Ryan's Tree website, www.slhn.org/ryanstree and unveiled a new logo for the program with an extended title – Ryan's Tree for Grieving Children. Giving Children a Hand…Rooted in the Heart.

Anyone interested in finding out more information about Ryan's Tree, volunteering or making a donation can visit the website at www.slhn.org/ryanstree or contact Erin McLean, St. Luke's Hospice Children's Bereavement Coordinator, at 484-241-8043.

About Highmark Healthy High 5

Highmark Healthy High 5 is a five-year, $100 million children's health promotion initiative of the Highmark Foundation. The mission of the initiative is to improve the health of children and adolescents ages 6-18 by providing them with the tools and practices needed to make informed decisions about living healthier lives. Highmark Healthy High 5 addresses five critical children's health promotion issues – nutrition, physical activity, self-esteem, grieving, and bullying prevention – by raising awareness, changing behavior through grants and programs, and providing resources to parents, schools and communities served by the Highmark Foundation. Highmark Healthy High 5 is an initiative of the Highmark Foundation. For more information, visit highmarkhealthyhigh5.org or call 800-789-1726.