National Grief Support Week December 15 - 21, 2008

Dec. 11, 2008 - PRLog -- San Francisco, CA  – The first annual National Grief Support Week will launch
December 15 – 21, 2008  with the commitment and support of more than a eighteen national and international grief support organizations, including CorStone, The M.I.S.S. Foundation, GriefShare, and many more.

“National Grief Support Week is about illuminating the opportunity for communities to help each other heal after the loss of a loved one, ” said Jennifer Steinman, a documentary filmmaker and the organizer of NGSW.  “There is no instruction manual for how to deal with grief, and there is no ‘right’ way to grieve. We hope by highlighting the many organizations and programs available to people and by offering private in-home screenings of Motherland, we can help bring about some relief, some compassion and perhaps some hope around this particularly challenging time of year.”

During National Grief Support Week, all program partners will highlight ways in which individuals can reach out and help someone in need or help themselves. Partner organizations and individuals will also arrange screenings of Motherland, Steinman’s new documentary film about six American women from diverse backgrounds, all of whom suffered the loss of a child, who embark on a transformative journey together to South Africa to work with children in need.   Motherland opens up an intimate dialogue about the complexity of grief and examines the healing potential of volunteering and being of service to others.  A free, downloadable discussion guide will assist with discussion groups following the screening of the film. For more information on participating: http://www.motherland-thefilm.org/grief.html

“National Grief Support Week will remind us to recognize and comfort friends, family and neighbors who are grieving,” said Lew Cox, Executive Director of Violent Crime Victim Services. “Jennifer has reminded us, through her thoughtfully produced film, that grief can feel incredibly lonely unless we find community. It doesn’t lessen the pain, necessarily, but it helps us to not feel alone.”

The campaign has also created the “Motherland Honor Wall,” a free community blog where participants can post a tribute to a lost loved one, and give and receive support.  
The Motherland Honor Wall is located at http://motherlandhonorwall.wordpress.com.
National Grief Support Week is supported by the following organizations as Partners in Healing. Please visit their websites to learn more about resources in your area.

CorStone (Formerly Attitudinal Healing Center) www.corstone.org
GriefShare www.griefshare.org
Mothers in Sympathy and Support www.missfoundation.org
Good Grief Resources www.goodgriefresources.com
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc. (TAPS) www.taps.org
The Sibling Connection www.counselingstlouis.net_
Rowan Tree Foundation www.rowantreefoundation.org
Violent Crime Victim Services www.vcvs.org
Children’s Hospice International (CHI) www.chionline.org
National Center for Victims of Crime www.ncvc.org
Citizens Against Homicide www.murdervictims.com/CAH
The Dougy Center www.dougy.org
Grief Watch www.griefwatch.com
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children www.missingkids.com
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention www.afsp.org
Twinless Twins Support Group International www.twinlesstwins.org
The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing www.wendtcenter.org
Centering Corporation www.centeringcorp.com

Press Inquiries: Diana Iles Parker at dianailesparker@msn.com or 415.225.8121