The Dougy Center

This center holds a special place in my heart.



The Dougy Center is a non-profit organization that holds support groups for kids, teens, and young adults who have lost someone close to them to death. It was the first organization to hold support groups for kids, started in 1982.

After my dad died when I was 8 years old, this home became my second home. I loved The Dougy Center. I wasn't abnormal there. I fit in. Other kids my age understood me. I could feel anything I wanted to feel. I could talk about anything I wanted to talk about and no one was uncomfortable. I could cry, yell, run around, jump up and down, stay quiet...whatever. There was a game room, a soft room (where the walls were padded and the floors were mats) and an art room. I could express myself any way I wanted. The Dougy Center is a brilliant organization. Children are affected by death...more than people realize. Studies have shown that it often takes people 30 years to grieve the loss of a parent if lost in childhood. The sooner kids express their emotions, the better they can cope. I love the Dougy Center.

I just found out my home of healing burned down last year.



While The Dougy Center continues, and re-building is in the process, my heart aches for the loss of this home. Many many children over several years began a healing process within those walls. Found comfort and reassurance within those walls. This post is in memory of a huge part of my childhood and the beginning of my grieving process. I hope to give back to The Dougy Center one day.