Events that touch the heart.

The Forefront Living Foundation received a two-year $30,000 grant from the Hoglund Foundation on December 17.

These funds will provide DFW children a support system for mitigating the wide-ranging negative effects of parental and familial loss through Faith Presbyterian Hospice. All services will be offered for free and available to the entire community and those referred by outside organizations.

Grief support services at Faith include:

• One-on-one visits with a child life specialist.
• Educating parents and grandparents regarding the development aspects of grief in children.
• Working with immediate caregivers to assist them in understanding the behaviors associated with grief.
• As appropriate, providing and assisting with referral resources to grieving families who are at a high risk for complicated grief.
• Facilitating monthly peer support groups, like Faith Kids, for children and families.
• Offering bi-annual family grief camps, such as Camp Faith, which includes peer support breakout sessions, and opportunities to honor and remember loved ones.

For more about Faith Presbyterian Hospice, visit https://www.faithpreshospice.org/programs/bereavement/.

Forefront Living Foundation hosted its virtual kick-off event on Dec. 2, 2020 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. The program was originally supposed to kick off at the beginning of 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic.

“We are thrilled to finally be able to kick off our Faithful Friends affinity group, which will offer members special invitations to inspiring and informative talks and exclusive receptions to learn more about the great work Faith Presbyterian Hospice does,” said Tena Burley, Executive Director of Forefront Living Foundation. “We need more advocates in the community who believe we can make the end of life as special as the beginning and want to help in meaningful ways.”

The purpose of this group is to create an environment for engaging individuals with the organization. Our Faithful Friends will serve on committees and participate in other philanthropic opportunities, develop a method for letting donors know about Faithful Wishes along with other organizational needs, and provide a way to engage honorees and previous volunteers.  They will also serve as an entry point for family members who have an affinity for Faith.

“Faithful Friends is a way for individuals to be involved at whatever level of commitment they can,” said Burley. “Not everyone can volunteer once a week or make a huge donation, but by learning more about quality end-of-life care and helping out where you can, we have an opportunity to change people’s perspectives and help more families have a positive end-of-life experience.”

Membership is $300 per person, or couple, lasting until Dec. 31, 2022. In addition to receiving intrinsic rewards, members will be invited to attend exclusive informational and social events, help decide how their fundraising dollars are utilized, and receive incentives for inviting other members to join.