Helping families facing serious illness
The needs we address
When the child of a seriously ill parent joins with other children living through similar experiences, an amazing transformation can happen. Under the guidance of trained volunteers and experienced facilitators, such children come to new levels of understanding about themselves and their families, and develop compassion and emotional c
onfidence. This gives them the courage to explore their feelings fully and learn coping skills that will help them throughout their lives. Who we are
Kids HUGS (Hope, Understanding, Growth, and Support) is a new organization developed to support children with a critically ill parent. We are the only such organization on the Connecticut shoreline. In collaboration with the Women and Family Life Center in Guilford, Kids HUGS will offer support groups to provide children with a nurturing setting where they will explore their emotions and learn lifelong coping skills. What we do
Kids HUGS teaches coping skills to children whose lives are impacted by the serious illness of a parent or other family member. We help them explore and express feelings rather than hide them, and cultivate a sense of shared emotions with other children facing equally difficult circumstances. Kids HUGS makes children strong by giving them a place where their emotions are understood, and programs exist that allow those feelings to be processed. Who we serve
Our work is focused on children age 6-16, but the positive impact of our efforts is felt in many dimensions of family life as well as the school environment, and throughout the shoreline communities where we operate. How we work
At the program level, we use a range of creative communications as media for building individual expression and shared experiences. This why, within our programs, you’ll find music, creative movement, play-based exercises, visual expression, and more. We use the natural aptitudes and preferences children already have for expressing themselves and help them use them as a means of emotional recovery.
