The mission of The Compassionate Friends is to assist families in the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child and to provide information to help others be supportive. The Compassionate Friends is a national nonprofit, self-help support organization which offers friendship and understanding to families who are grieving the death of a child of any age, from any cause. We have learned that the death of our child has caused a pain that can best be understood fully by another bereaved parent.
Knowing that all need love and support, we reach out as our own grief subsides, to those who still feel alone and abandoned.
We also provide grief information and education to the community.
TCF was founded in 1969. There is no religious affiliation. We are non-sectarian and multicultural. There are no membership fees or dues, and all bereaved family members are welcome.
The secret of The Compassionate Friends' success is simple:
As seasoned grievers reach out to the newly bereaved, energy that has been directed inward begins to flow outward, and both are helped to heal.Please give us a try. And don't be quick to judge by the first meeting. The first meeting can be uncomfortable for us...as some of us share our story for the first time. It can sometimes be depressing and we wonder what we could possibly be getting from it. But, with time, we begin to see the benefits.
Our local chapter (covering Fremont County in central Wyoming) was formed in the fall of 1997 after our son, Jason Goodman, died on July 22, 1996. We had attended the National Conference in Philadelphia and had found the support of the other bereaved parents a godsend. We returned to our hometown, found others to help, and began the organization of our chapter. If you live in our area and have lost a child, please call on us. If you live somewhere else, and need support, email me. Perhaps I can locate a chapter near you, or find a contact person to call on you. The National Office has a webpage that lists many of the chapters and several other TCF websites. There is nothing worse than losing a child.......but......we need not walk alone. We are the Compassionate Friends.
We send out a monthly newsletter which contains helpful articles, poems, prose, inspiration, and local chapter info.
You can go here and see our kids' page.