Soccer Tournament, Sunday, June 26th 

Join us for the second annual  

Team Up Soccer Tournament 

When: Sunday, June 26th

Where: Belmont Hill School, Turf Fields (Rain or Shine!)

• Food and refreshments, face painting, soccer shooting competitions, and more!
• Don't miss the wonderful silent auction going on all day!

We extend our warm appreciation to our community sponsors:

Leader Bank  ~ Watertown Savings Bank  

Old New England Properties  

Dolan Enterprises  ~  Arlington Chiropractic 

and the Susan Rudd Team at Coldwell Banker

Visit the Team Up Soccer website for more information.

Saying Goodbye to Johanneke 

Teen Troupe Co-Director Johanneke de Vries

When Johanneke and her family moved to the US from Holland in 2006, they were committed, through her husband's company, to a five-year stay. Johanneke wasn't sure she wanted to be away from her family and friends in Holland for that long, and knew she had to find something meaningful to help her feel connected. Shortly after they arrived, she was driving one day, and heard a radio program about The Children's Room. She turned the car around, drove home, and sent an email to find out more. That winter she completed the volunteer training, became a group facilitator, and the following year she became co-director of the fledgling Teen Performance Troupe.

We are so glad Johanneke found The Children's Room! She has made a difference in the lives of many teens and families. TCR has meant a lot for her as well. It became a profound connection both personally and professionally, providing for her a place of comfort and growth. She says, "I will miss the house, the warmth of the people, always so welcoming, and ready to embrace me, my life, and my stories. Most of all I will miss the laughter and the tears from the teens."

This summer, Johanneke and her family will be returning to Holland, and she is astonished at how fast the five years have flown by. Her children have grown up here. Her oldest daughter, Lotte, who was a member of the troupe last year, will be attending university in Holland. Johanneke will be tremendously missed, but her presence and love will be a part of the troupe always.

Johanneke and her family have a very personal connection with grief and loss. Read more of Johanneke's Story on our website. 

Co-Director, Lisa Boes, will carry on next year with a new Co-Director, Brenda Walsh-Segesdi. Brenda was one of the very first TCR volunteer group facilitators, and has been an active volunteer since 1994! We are so happy to have both Lisa and Brenda to welcome and guide a new group of teens this fall, and help fill the space and hearts that Johanneke leaves behind.

Teen Performance Troupe 2011 with troupe directors, Lisa (left) and Johanneke (right)

Each spring, several members of the teen troupe say goodbye, and the troupe gets ready to welcome new members the following fall. This year we are saying goodbye to all of the teens in the troupe, as they move on to college and other interests and responsibilities. The Children's Room has been fortunate to have the following extraordinary teens as members of the troupe this year.

Alex is a sophomore at Newton North High School. When she was in fifth grade, her mom died from complications of alcoholism and hemachromatosis. Alex says, "I've never met people more genuinely wonderful than the friends I've met here. They're my family, and The Children's Room is my home. Once you're with The Children's Room, the connection is there forever." Alex is a gifted singer, and in this year's performances she sang an original song written by Arielle. 

Arielle is a senior at the Dana Hall School. Her father died from melanoma when she was eleven. She says, "Sharing my story was incredibly difficult, but vastly rewarded when I saw how appreciative the audience was to see me open up and speak about my Dad from my heart. The Teen Troupe is a unique experience I will treasure for the rest of my life." She is a talented musician and songwriter. You can find the lyrics of the song she wrote for her dad on our website. 

Dawit is a junior at Lexington High School. He moved here from Ethiopia three years ago, after being adopted by an American family. Dawit's mother died when he was eleven, and his father died when he was fourteen. The troupe, has helped helped him feel less alone, he says. He is glad he can help other kids with their losses. He will remember all the great friends he met, and says, "I will never forget them all my life."

Jesse is a junior at Lexington High School. His mother died when he was in third grade, after battling breast cancer for two years. It has been important, he says, to share memories of his mom, which has helped him as he re-lives them in his day-to-day life. "The skills I have acquired and the confidence I have gained not only changed my grieving life, but my life at school and at home."  He says he would not change this "wonderful and life changing experience for anything." 

Maggie is a sophomore at Stoughton High School. When Maggie was nine, her sister, Sara, age fifteen, died from a brain aneurysn while she was on a church retreat. For her, the troupe is "a group for friends, support, and hope. The Children's Room focuses around grief, losing someone you love, a person who is so dear it's hard to bear." About the performances, she says, "everyone has lost someone they loved. Seeing that can really make a person open their heart...they are no longer strangers in a crowded room."  

Tricia is a senior at Arlington High School. Her mom died from breast cancer when she was ten. She remembers, "When my mom died, I saw my world shatter and crumble. The Children's Room was a place where I could seek solace and shelter, and I wasn't fighting this battle on my own. No matter where I went, support would always linger in my shadow, which was such a strong comfort  to me." She says the troupe has been "one of the most amazing experiences of my life."  

Read more about the Teen Performance Troupe on our website. 

John R. Carmichael III Memorial Golf Tournament

Our Summer Workshop Series takes place August 2 through August 16.

As the leading nonprofit in Massachusetts serving grieving children, teens, and families, our staff provides workshops, trainings, consultations, and crisis response. We educate the community about issues related to grief and loss, using the expertise we've developed through working with hundreds of grieving children, teens, and adults.

• Registration Information: $100.00 per workshop or $90.00 for early registration.
• Workshops take place at The Children's Room from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Continuing education credits available for social workers, counselors, and teachers.
•  Click here for a registration form. 

Presented by Deborah Rivlin, MA, Director of Education & Training at TCR and adjunct professor at Mount Ida College. Deborah has worked in the field of bereavement for 35 years.      

Summer Workshop Schedule: 

Tuesday, August 2:  Crisis Response & Planning

Thursday, August 4:  Loss in Adolescence

Tuesday, August 9:  Fostering Resiliency in Children

Thursday, August 11:  Supporting Emerging Adults

Tuesday, August 16: Supporting Young Children   

Visit our Workshop Series page on our website.

For more information about workshops, trainings, and consultations,  

contact Deborah@childrensroom.org  or call 781-641-4741 x321.

National Alliance for Grieving Children Annual Symposium

Boston, July 14-16, 2011

More June Events 

Annual Parent Alumni Group Cocktail Party

Volunteer Appreciation Cookout

Pear Tree Hair Design Fundraiser

Your next haircut could make a difference for a family in need.

Annual Circle of Hope Breakfast 

Our Circle of Hope Breakfast took place

on Tuesday, May 3rd, and it was a lovely  

and inspiring morning.

It was wonderful to share an uplifting hour in a room filled with warm and caring people. We are so glad if you were able to  join us this year. The enormous outpouring of love and support will clearly make a difference in the lives of grieving children and families this year. The funds raised will enable us to maintain our peer support programs for grieving children, teens, and families, and will help us offer education and support in under-served communities.

If you were not able to attend the breakfast this year, but would like contribute, you can make a secure, online donation here. We hope you'll join us next year!

The support of our community truly makes a difference, enabling The Children's Room to continue to offer vital and life-changing services to grieving families. We currently have 13 families on our wait list, including 14 adults and 25 children and teens. With your help, we will be able to serve these families and many more in support groups this year.  

Our Heartfelt Thanks 

We are grateful to so many of you whose support makes a huge difference here at The Children's Room. A word of thanks to some special donations of time, talent, and much-needed resources:

Our thanks to the Lesley University Dance Team, and to TCR Lesley interns and Lesley dancers, Katie McCarthy and Meghan Slaalien, for their beautiful performances. Proceeds from the Spring Dance Show were donated to benefit TCR children and families.

We are deeply grateful to the following foundations for their recent gifts:   

Continued thanks to...

Blooms of Hope for brightening our house and events with colorful spring flowers.

and... 

All our gifted, reliable, caring volunteers (more than 100!)... We could not do it without you!