This web site was created from a desire to help others find ideas on "how to reach out" to the newly  bereaved in their communities.  Some of us have wonderful outreach programs in place, others are in a small area that has no outreach.  We hope sharing our suggestions and ideas will help others with their own outreach programs. 

Reaching out to just a single family from single person can be a healing experience.  If you live in a small community and do not have a chapter or support group, you can still reach out to those families who follow. 

We are here to help....I hope everyone enjoys the ideas that have been shared:

If you would like to share how you reach out to the newly bereaved, please email us. 
 
 
 

If you want a step by step on how to make custom cards go to the following website.  
 
 

How to Create Birthday/Angel Date Cards
 
 

Bird Houses for New Families

Jackie Shares

I'd like to share with you our chapter outreach program. We either buy ( when we can find them ) or a member will make small birdhouses.  They have a small flower decoration attached to the side usually so that a small hand cut butterfly can ALWAYS be inserted. On the bottom of the birdhouse I make labels saying " Given to you in memory of your precious child by the Compassionate Friends"  I also hang a small "to" ( parents name) card on the birdhouse saying "With our sympathy, The Compassionate Friends". I print out a very nice sympathy card  to be given along with the bird houses. This goes to the funeral home when a child has died and when we are either notified or read it in the paper.

I personally have chosen the ages of my own children as the cut off ages,  I did not know where to draw a line as every death is someones child.and we know we cannot deliver to all who dies.  I like to have the birdhouse delivered before the viewing as that lets many know of TCF. 

In a couple weeks or a month later I send a personal letter with our chapter brochure and also "The Principals of TCF" pamphlet to the parents with a invitation to attend our meetings .I sometimes receive thank you cards or if I happen to talk to the parents on the phone or they attend a meeting they will many times tell me that they appreciated the birdhouse, some even more than the flowers they received, because WE CARED!!    And many of course had never even heard of TCF. 

In almost 3 years of doing this we have delivered over 60 birdhouses.  There have been times when we didn't have a birdhouse ready or had run out of them.  I would buy a small angel and take that to the funeral home. I want to stress that it isn't what you take,or how much it costs, it's that you cared enough to let the parents know they are not alone. 

I started out with small flower arrangements in a bud vase, and wanted a way to display a butterfly, so that is how the birdhouse came about for us.

Our purchased birdhouses and Angels usually come from a Dollar Tree store when we can find them for a dollar each and they are already painted or sometimes they might need varnishing. The butterflies are cut from any type of materials you have onhand.

I would be interested in knowing  what other chapters do as their outreach. What we do is not at all expensive.  We might  have $2.00 at the most invested in each birdhouse and  card we deliver. It might be a little time consuming to put the flowers and butterflies on  but that is also very worthwhile to be able to help these parents. 

I promote all this in memory of my daughter Teresa Wesley Hough  who died October 2,1993  

Jackie Wesley   (Jackie's email)