Free art event in Latrobe will help kids 'feel less alone' this Children’s Grief Awareness Day

Local kids who are grieving loved ones will have the opportunity to decorate pots and plant seeds of hope on Children’s Grief Awareness Day.

This year, the day falls on Thursday, Nov. 16, and Maria Graziano-Bickerstaff, funeral director at the Hartman-Graziano Funeral Home in Latrobe, said its intent is to “help grieving kids feel less alone” and raise awareness and support in the local community.

Children’s Grief Awareness Day, which is now internationally observed on the third Thursday of November, was created in 2008 by the Highmark Caring Place.

Graziano-Bickerstaff, 30, of Latrobe, said this year will be the second year the funeral home is offering a free art activity at the Latrobe Art Center in partnership with Independence Health System’s home care and hospice team.

Those interested can register by calling the funeral home at 724-537-5575 by the end of the day on Friday, Nov. 10. All children must be accompanied by a guardian.

Last year, the kids made ornaments, but there’s a different art activity this year to encourage those who previously attended to return. She said the kids will plant the seeds of hope in their pots this year to “nurture and take care of” them once they leave the event.

There were 18 kids at last year’s art event, and this year, Graziano-Bickerstaff is hoping for about 30.

The event will include certified therapy dogs, take-home art kits and books, she said.

“We knew right away this was something we definitely had to have annually,” Graziano-Bickerstaff said.

The event intends to show the community and parents that there are resources available for grieving kids like the Neighborhood Kids Program by Independence Health System, she said, while raising awareness.

“We’re setting out to be able to create this safe environment for them to be able to know … it’s OK to be sad, OK to ask questions — talk about your loved one,” Graziano-Bickerstaff said.

She said last year, a little girl shared that she learned that it’s OK to be sad, which made Graziano-Bickerstaff realize the importance behind the event.

“It’s so important that even though we may not be able to make everything OK as an adult … we can support them, and we can really create an environment where they know they can still talk about their loved one,” Graziano-Bickerstaff said.

The “butterfly wall” will also be at this year’s event, she said, which is an approximately 10 feet tall “symbol of hope” — filled with messages of support, hope or remembrance.

“It was blank last year,” Graziano-Bickerstaff said. “With the support of the community, churches, local businesses, we were able to fill that board with over hundreds of messages.”

Kids will be able to write their own messages on butterflies that night to add to the wall.