Hospice helps children to heal from grief

Hospice of the Conejo is a nonprofit organization that helps people with end-of-life needs and offers bereavement services for those who desire them.

When she heard about Hospice's Youth Bereavement Program, Pamm Deluca of Simply Ceramics in Thousand Oaks offered children in the program an opportunity to come to her store and paint tiles free of charge.

"I wanted them to know that we care about them and their loss," said Deluca, whose paintyour-own-pottery studio is in the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks. The company charges no studio or paint fees. The only thing customers pay for is their pottery.

Hospice's youth bereavement groups help children between the ages of 5 and 17 who have lost an important person in their lives, often a mother or father.

"The kids oftentimes feel that although they are experiencing a devastating loss, the world around seems to go on unchanged," said Toni Franks, one of the group leaders.

It's important to the kids' healing process when the outside world acknowledges their loss, Franks said.