Information: www.katesclub.org
Kate Atwood told the crowd of over 300 people at Coan Park on Nov. 15 that it was a very special moment for her.
“Kate’s Club has been in my life for 12 years,” she said. “It’s the same amount of time my mother was in my life.”
Atwood lost her mom to breast cancer when she was 12 and “didn’t speak about her for seven years,” she said. But when she was 19, she shared her story with over 200 campers at a bereavement camp.
“And, this young girl came to me after and said my story helped her, and even I realized how freeing it was to just talk about losing my mom.”
Inspired, Atwood started Kate’s Club, an organization that empowers children after the loss of a parent or sibling.
The club started in 2003, when Barnes and Noble Bookstores was the meeting place. Josiah Gnanamuttu, seven years old at the time, remembers his and his sister’s time in Kate’s Club to seek support after losing their father.
“It became a place to talk and meet other kids who were going through something similar,” said Gnanamuttu, 17. “It was the first time I opened up about my father’s death, and it helped me get through it. We became a family.”
At Coan Park, Kate’s Club held its third annual Memory Walk, a one-mile community walk to remember and honor family members who have passed and raise awareness for National Childhood Grief Awareness Day which was Nov. 20.
According to the organization, there are 40,000 children in metro Atlanta who suffer grief over loss of a parent, primary caregiver or sibling. The nonprofit developed therapeutic programming to help children and teens establish healthy support systems and develop the necessary skills to cope effectively with grief.
Gnanamuttu, an aspiring firefighter, also volunteers with the organization as a program volunteer/junior buddy. Like him, the community can volunteer with Kate’s Club’s by becoming program volunteers and buddies for the participants, helping with special events, fundraising or even in with administrative duties.
“Grief can be so isolating,” said Atwood. “And, we want our kids to be able to talk about their grief and know that it’s okay to have a fun and full life.”
Kate’s Club has helped over 840 families since its inception.
In other news: High Tech Ministries brought together more than 150 volunteers Nov. 4 through 6 during its Serve@Work project. The group helped renovate and improve 7 Bridges to Recovery's outdoor deck, walking track, storage shed and bike rack. The Atlanta-based organization works to end homelessness.
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