Katrina Koehler addresses Rotary Club of Los Alamos members Tuesday during their regular meeting at Cottonwood on the Greens. Photo by Linda Hull

BY LINDA HULL
Rotarian

Katrina Koehler, co-director of Gerard’s House for Grieving Children in Santa Fe, told member of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos Tuesday about  the non-profit organization’s work to provide a safe place where children can work through grief in healthy ways through free play, art, writing, drama, and memorializing their loved one.

Children receive support from peers, and interact with caring, adult facilitators.
Grieving together provides a sense of community whether loss stems from death, diagnosis of terminal illness, violence, or deportation and separation.

Support groups are also offered for the children’s parents and caregivers, with weekly groups for both children and parents organized by children’s age into eight-week sessions with extended enrollment available.  Gerard’s House offers an impressive number of programs including immigrant support groups for Latino students, crisis response, at-home grief support, suicide prevention, support for young parents and teen mothers, and for homeless youth.  Many programs are bi-lingual.  All services are free of charge.

A pop music festival fundraiser to benefit Gerard’s House will be held Nov. 2 at 5:30 p.m.  at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe.  To learn more about this fundraiser and Gerard’s House, its programs, and volunteer opportunities, please go to www.gerardshouse.org, (505) 424-1800.