Winchester, Va., August 4, 2023—Blue Ridge Hospice is inviting 10 teens and young adults who have lost a loved one to experience a special evening of celebration, hope, and healing at Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE World Tour in a private skybox complete with catered refreshments and food at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. The event on Saturday August 5, 2023, is made possible in partnership with the Washington Commanders.
Blue Ridge Hospice is the area’s leading provider of community grief and loss support services, offering a variety of support groups, workshops, and individual support to grieving children and adults in a 2,200 square-mile service area in the northern Shenandoah Valley and Northwestern Virginia. “Losing a loved one can be incredibly traumatic for young people. Many of the teens and young adults we are serving in our grief and bereavement programs have lost a loved one during COVID, when they may not have been able to see their special person or attend funerals. These things affect healthy grieving and can lead to a lack of closure,” says Susana Calley, Manager of Patient and Family Support Services at Blue Ridge Hospice. “After a traumatic loss, a time to be together with other young people and to do something fun and good is exceptionally healing,” she adds.
At the 2023 Grammy Awards last February, where she made history by becoming the artist with the most Grammy wins of all time, Beyoncé expressed gratitude for her uncle Johnny whom she said served as the inspiration for the RENAISSANCE album, and who died when she was a teenager. Themes of grief, recognition, and celebration are interwoven throughout the lyrics of the songs, making the album an excellent source of solace and inspiration for those navigating the complexities of grief and loss. In the RENAISSANCE album’s liner notes, the singer states that “my intention was to create a safe space, a place without judgment, a place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking, a place to scream, release, feel freedom.”
Most of the teens and young adults who are attending the concert were participants in Blue Ridge Hospice’s new Adventures Through Grief program, an innovative bereavement support group for teens and young adults that uses a therapeutic tabletop roleplaying game method, modified specifically to address grief. Adventures Through Grief provides young people opportunities to learn new coping skills and allow them to express their grief in indirect and non-threatening ways.
The unique opportunity for participants to attend the concert and come together to celebrate music and joy after losing their loved one comes as the initial 12-session round of the program comes to a close. “This is a real dream-come-true moment for our participants, and we are so grateful and excited to be able to give these kids the opportunity,” says Cheryl Hamilton Fried, President & CEO of Blue Ridge Hospice, who will be joining the group for this joyous occasion. “An important part of processing grief is allowing for moments of joy and celebration. We want our participants to know that it is okay to be joyful again – it’s okay to receive good things in life and accept happiness and peace,” states Christina Thomas, LCSW, Children and Families Grief Support Coordinator at Blue Ridge Hospice.
All participants in attendance are over the age of 18, or accompanied by a parent, guardian, or family member who is over the age of 18.
Development of “Adventures Through Grief” was made possible by a $30,000 grant, awarded to Blue Ridge Hospice by The New York Life Foundation through its competitive Grief Reach program that supports organizations serving bereaved youth. The New York Life Foundation is the largest corporate funder in the field of childhood grief support.
About Blue Ridge Hospice
Blue Ridge Hospice is a community-based, not-for-profit serious illness and end-of-life care provider that has been serving friends and neighbors across the northern Shenandoah Valley and northwestern Virginia since 1981. With a mission of “brightening life’s journey with quality and compassionate care for all whom we are privileged to serve,” Blue Ridge Hospice serves the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Fauquier, Loudoun, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren. Accredited by The Joint Commission, Blue Ridge Hospice consistently exceeds the national averages for quality as reported on Medicare’s Hospice Compare website. To learn more about Blue Ridge Hospice call 540-313-9200.
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