Our Summer Workshop Series takes place

August 2 through August 16.

Register early: $90.00 for each 6 hour workshop! 

Using the expertise developed through working with hundreds  

of grieving children, teens, and adults, The Children's Room educates the community about issues related to grief and loss. Teachers, social workers, and others who work closely with children and young adults will benefit from learning tools and strategies needed to support those impacted by a loss, crisis,

or trauma.  

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   

• Registration Information: $100.00 per workshop or $90.00 for early registration, one month prior.  
• Workshops take place at TCR 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.

Deborah has worked in the field of bereavement for 35 years.       

For more information about workshops,trainings,and consultations contact: Deborah@childrensroom.org  

or call 781-641-4741 x321

The Garden Brigade

Our beautiful Hope Grows Here Garden in front  

of The Children's Room house is full of summery colors, quiet beauty, and soon... blueberries!  

Three years ago, our garden was created through the generosity and vision of COGdesign, a local non-profit that brings together landscapers and designers to improve the natural, open spaces of non-profits and public spaces. David McCoy, owner of Geographia Landscape Design created a wonderful garden plan, transforming our external landscape to reflect our mission.

For the past two springs, COGdesign has lent a hand (or several hands!) to help us with annual garden maintenance, through their Horticultural Skills Training program. Instructor Renee Portanova partners with Pine Street Inn's HandyWorks, a program for men transitioning from homelessness back into the workforce. She and her team of trainees, the "Garden Brigade," did an impressive early spring garden clean up and spread mulch over all the garden beds ~ which we hope will deter many of the prolific weeds that will make an appearance later in the summer! We are so appreciative of Renee and her valuable work with COGdesign and the Pine Street Inn.  

For the gardening enthusiasts in our community who might have a particular penchant for pulling weeds (and other garden tasks), we would welcome your talents this summer. Please let us know if you would like to lend a hand in our garden by contacting us at: info@childrensroom.org. 

Team Up Soccer Tournament, Sunday, June 26 

Stop by to watch a soccer game, enjoy kid-friendly activities, including games and face painting, have lunch or a snack, and support The Children's Room!!

When: Sunday, June 26th, starting at 10:00 am 

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

In addition to great soccer, this fun-filled family day will include:

• Food and refreshments, face painting, and lots of great games for kids. 
• There will also be a wonderful silent auction, going on all day, featuring: Jewelry, restaurants, Red Sox and Breakers tickets, and many more fun and valuable items! 
• Games start at 10:00 am with the finals competition at 1:30 pm. 

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.

Pear Tree Hair Design Fundraiser, Sunday, June 26  

 Pear Tree Hair Design Fundraiser

Sunday, June 26th, 199 Broadway, Arlington

Your next haircut could make a difference  

for a family in need.

Call to make an appointment: 781-646-0033  

Visit Pear Tree Hair Design on Facebook

Schedule your appointment and help raise money and awareness for issues  

that are too often suffered in silence. Appointments are limited so call today.  

Together we can make a difference!

Congratulations To Our Graduating Interns! 

Sarah, Becca, Katie, and Meghan

The Children's Room has become a sought-after internship opportunity for many local colleges, attracting students for whom the mission of TCR is particularly meaningful. Students also come to TCR because the rich learning and growth experiences help to shape career goals.

We would like you to meet the exceptional interns who contributed their talents and passion to TCR this year. Coming full circle after losses  

of their own, they give back in so  

many ways... 

Katie is a rising junior at Lesley University. She first came to The Children's Room as a counselor for our summer program in 2007, then joined the Teen Performance Troupe for two years. As a member of the teen troupe, Katie shared the transformative experience of her brother's death in a car accident when she was twelve years old.

In fall 2010, Katie started a bereavement peer support group on the Lesley campus. Modeled on groups at TCR, this student-run group, LUSTER, or 'Lesley University Survive Together, Experience Resilience', is the first of its kind on campus. 

As an intern, she says the special experiences and bonds she shared with her fellow interns was a highlight of her year. She feels honored to have worked with all of the volunteers and staff, "some of the most genuine, caring, passionate, and supportive people I know." Her experiences at TCR have inspired her to pursue a degree in Expressive Arts Therapy.

After "the most wonderful year," she is sad to be leaving The Children's Room. She acknowledges, "I am not the first person to say, once you come towards The Children's Room, you never leave."

Sarah graduated from Lesley University this spring with a degree in Expressive Arts Therapy.

After Sarah's dad died when she was twelve, she attended a bereavement program in western Massacusetts called The Garden. That experience inspired her to help other children who have lost someone close to them.

Meghan says her own experience with loss influenced her internship choice. Her mom died when she was seventeen, just three years before she came to TCR. She was impressed by "witnessing first-hand, the extreme power and influence of a strong support system."

At TCR, Meghan says she learned that everyone's experience with loss and grief is truly unique.
She loved spending time in the art room with kids, having the opportunity to help them express themselves both creatively and verbally. She especially valued the times when a child felt comfortable enough to talk with her about the person in his or her life who died, sharing both good and bad memories.

She says, "My internship was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and was an opportunity that I will be forever grateful for.This experience changed  "my heart, mind, and entire being." Meghan is pursuing a Social Work degree at Simmons next year, hoping that someday she can make meaningful changes in the field of bereavement and perhaps start her own nonprofit. 

Becca graduated this spring from the Holistic Psychology program at Lesley. Becca's experience of loss when she was nine influenced her desire to work with grieving children. She says, "I got the sense that TCR was a place where real healing occurred, and I was searching for that in my personal process of growth and loss."

She found the training invaluable, but says what stays with her are the moments of "playing dress-up or making art with the kids, laughing or just sitting in silence and enjoying our time in the house."

Her experience has changed her own relationship with grief, and she feels that TCR helped her "step into an entirely different way of viewing loss." She has a greater appreciation for grief as  

"a universal phenomenon - one that no one is exempt from," and the importance of supporting  

one another with compassion and patience.

Becca is getting married this summer, and then hopes to work with the Peace Corps. She knows she will likely be working with people who have experienced intense loss, and is grateful for the tools and knowledge she gained at TCR. 

We are grateful to Katie, Sarah, Meghan, and Becca for all they brought to The Children's Room, and for what they are taking away as well, and know they will all continue to contribute in caring and meaningful ways, making a difference wherever they go. 

Annual Memories Walk, Sunday, October 2nd 

Our Annual Memories Walk will take place on Sunday, October 2nd.

It has been exciting to watch our  

Walk grow year to year, and we are looking forward to another amazing  

and memorable event bringing together our friends, supporters, families, volunteers, and staff.

Registration information will be available soon. If you are interested in joining the Walk committee, or attending the next planning meeting, please email: kim@childrensroom.org 

Community Tours 

The Children's Room Community Tour

is open to anyone in the community who  

would like to learn about how we help  

grieving children, teens, and families.

Guests hear a heartfelt welcome from a board or staff member, then take a 45-minute walk through the house. People have told us after the tour that they were incredibly moved and say they can now picture what happens in our program. They enter expecting to find a sad atmosphere, and instead they leave feeling surprised by the colorful and comforting surroundings at the house, and the stories of hope and inspiration.

Upcoming Tours:

RSVP to kim@childrensroom.org

For families interested in applying to the program:

Please contact michele@childrensroom.org for Family Orientation dates.

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:

Thanks to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern New England, our beloved and well-used art room will get a much needed update with new windows, flooring, insulation, wiring, furniture and art supplies. We are so grateful!

Our thanks to Dara Conneely for donating summer landscaping services through his company, Signature Landscape. We are especially grateful for his gift of mulch this spring. To find out more about Signature Landscape in Arlington, call (781) 646-5355.

Continued thanks to...

Jan Streitburger of Crescent Hill Studio for donating her inspiring and beautiful graphic design work.  Click here to email Jan.

and... 

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