As we begin a new school year, we’re excited to share some of the innovative ways Bridges of Hope is expanding our reach and deepening our impact for students who are grieving. We are thrilled to celebrate another year of growth! This past school year, we served 375 students through Sand Dollar Club by collaborating with our incredible partners, educators, school staff, and facilitators.
Here’s a look at what’s new:
1. Expansion into Berkeley County
This year, we’re excited to expand our impact by bringing grief support services to Berkeley County School District. This partnership represents an important step in growing our reach across the Tri County area and connecting more grieving students with the resources they need. Together, we’re ensuring more students have access to a caring community where they can build resilience and navigate grief and life’s challenges.
2. Expanding Access to Virtual School Communities
We strive to remove barriers so every grieving child has access to the resources and support they need, regardless of their learning environment. By adapting our grief support curriculum for virtual learning, we’re creating opportunities for students in virtual settings to feel connected, build healthy coping skills, and gain the tools they need to navigate their grief. We’re excited to continue building partnerships that expand access to grief support and ensure more children feel seen, supported, and connected.
3. Primary Curriculum
We now have Sand Dollar Club for early learners for students in CD through Kindergarten.
This year, we introduced our Primary curriculum at Midland Park Primary School and Matilda F. Dunston Elementary School. Through stories, music, movement, interactive activities, and creative experiences like creating superhero capes and masks, students identify trusted adults, explore their emotions, and recognize their unique strengths. By introducing these foundational skills early, we help children better understand their emotions, learn about grief, and build confidence in expressing themselves.
4. Strengthening Support for Schools through a Partner Newsletter
We’re committed to strengthening our partnerships with schools and creating more opportunities to support grieving students, families, and staff. This year, we’re introducing a partner newsletter featuring school spotlights, tips, best practices, Children’s Grief Awareness Month initiatives, year-round luminary opportunities, and resources to raise awareness, connection, and support to our school communities.
Through these efforts, we hope to help schools better understand grief, recognize how it may impact students and staff, and feel empowered with tools to support overall well-being. We also joined our partners with the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG) in the “Flip the Script” campaign to challenge the stigma surrounding grief and encourage reflection and conversation around loss. The newsletter will also highlight stories that celebrate our partners, students, and facilitators by spotlighting the impact of grief support within our communities.
5. Resources for download
Our downloadable flyers and resources make it easy for schools to share information and connect students and families with grief support. These materials include informational flyers, shareable resources, and a quick reference guide to help teachers and staff recognize when a student may be struggling with grief, learn more about Sand Dollar Club, and connect students and families with the support they need. We will continue to add new resources as we identify additional needs for support.
6. Hope Takes Flight Soars over $10,000 for 100 Students Raised
Our annual fundraiser, Hope Takes Flight, was a tremendous success! This year the theme was supporting our Sand Dollar Clubs. We heard moving testimonials from students and school partners. We gathered for fun, laughter, and meaningful connections while celebrating the impact of our work. During the Raise the Paddle, we raised over $10,000 to support 100 students in a year of Sand Dollar Club.
Let’s Connect at Your Next School Event
Planning a school event? We’d love to join you!
The Bridges team is available for family nights, open houses, wellness fairs, career days, parent events, professional development, and other school gatherings. We’ll share information about our grief support programs, resources for families, and ways to connect students with support.
To make our visits engaging, we also offer hands-on activities, like friendship bracelet making and other interactive table experiences, that encourage connection and conversation.
Interested in having Bridges at your next event? Contact us to schedule a visit. We look forward to working with your school!
We’re so excited for what’s ahead and grateful to be walking alongside schools, caregivers, and students as we grow. Stay tuned for more updates on our school-based grief support innovations!
