Kids in "Club Courage" were able to release their grief and held back feelings, tonight, by releasing a balloon up in the sky. This symbolic gesture comes at the end of a six week course for kids overcoming a family crisis, like death of a loved one, divorce, deployment, or separation.
Kids, like Brock Bourland, wrote a message and tied it to a balloon to release. Afterwards, when I caught up with Brock he said he was feeling good after releasing his balloon in honor of his brother, who died in a car accident.
"It's for my brother, he died in a car wreck four years ago," he continues to say, "this [Club Courage] is helping me."
Brock adds that through the help of others in Club Courage, he realizes he's not alone in his pain. "I'm around people that have the same problems [as I do]."
It also helps that he has friends, like Madison and Nicole, who also went through Club Courage to handle their grief after losing their father. They say they learned a lot on how to handle their feelings. "[I learned] to control your anger in a healthier, better way," says Madison Epper. Her younger sister, Nicole, says she's learned to, "Just think positive and know that everything's going to be okay."
However, Club Courage goes beyond just helping the kids, they take it to the parents, as well. "We help them [the parents] with parenting their children through the family crisis or helping them to re-stabilize," comments Alecia McDaniel, a counselor with the adults. She says that this helps the parents help their kids. "When you can help the parents stabilize, then they can administer to the children."
As for tonight, the balloon release is a great way for these kids to release their feelings.
For anyone who might be interested in Club Courage, the course is offered twice a year for six weeks. They also continue the programing with Camp Courage, which takes place June 8-11.
For more information go to: http://www.hendrickhospice.org/
