Art with Heart to Offer Resources to Help Sandy Hook Elementary School Children Make Sense of Grief
Therapeutic books and outreach to help Newton, Conn. children whose emotional suffering could lead to lifelong challenges.
(PRWEB) December 21, 2012
In the wake of the unthinkable, Art with Heart is concerned for the children who lived through the tragedy that befell their fellow students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn.. Art with Heart – a non-profit organization that has developed therapeutic art activity books to help children facing grief and loss – needs your help getting these valuable healing resources to the children who need them.
Art with Heart, based in Seattle, uses creativity to heal children's emotional wounds through carefully crafted, research-based, therapeutic books that provide a way for kids to express the fear, confusion and turmoil they feel, but don't have the words for. The organization's healing books were made to help children facing difficult life circumstances and extraordinary hardships. Historically, the organization helped 1,500 teens after Hurricane Katrina, and sent resources to Christina Green's classmates in Tucson, Ariz., after the shooting there.
Art with Heart will be printing a special edition of its current grief book, customized for the students of Sandy Hook, as part of the first line of comfort. The group is partnering with Committee for Children, an international nonprofit dedicated to promoting social-emotional learning and the prevention of bullying, child abuse and youth violence through education. Together, they will provide services for the children of Newtown after the first responders have left. They will be among the second responders to support the children who are in need of http://artwithheart.org/help.
“We know many have a strong support system that will allow them to eventually heal from this horrible ordeal,” said Steffanie Lorig, Executive Director and founder of Art with Heart. “We will work to make sure to reach the 20 percent who do not have that luxury to make sure that their emotional suffering does not become a lifelong challenge.”
Research shows that if left untreated, childhood traumatic experiences can interfere with a child's healthy development and can lead to long-term difficulties. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, the most serious consequences of untreated mental health disorders in children are school failure, juvenile detention and suicide.
Art with Heart books most appropriate to helping children and youth facing difficulty include:
- Magnificent Marvelous Me for children dealing with challenging family situations
- Ink About It for ‘tweens facing difficult transitions
- Chill & Spill for teens dealing with crisis
All proceeds from the sale of the books feed back into Art with Heart's outreach to under-served children and youth in need. Books can be purchased on behalf of children at http://artwithheartshop.org.
For more information, visit Art with Heart's website at http://artwithheart.org, email info(at)artwithheart(dot)org or call 206-362-4047. For media queries, contact Steffanie Lorig at steffanie(at)artwithheart(dot)org or 206-362-4047
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