About Courageous Kids


 Courageous Kids is a grief support program for youth (1st-12th grades), and their families who have experienced the death of a loved one. Since 1995, over 4000 people have participated in Courageous Kids' weekly support groups, theater troupes, and summer camps.

Adults sometimes want to protect children from the facts of a death, thinking children may become too upset. However, children and teens, who don't grieve the death of someone significant in their lives, can develop physical and emotional problems. The mission of Courageous Kids is to provide a developmentally appropriate, caring, and accepting atmosphere to normalize a child's thoughts and emotions related to grief and loss.

​Through art therapy, drama, sand play, and discussion groups, youths may give voice to thoughts and feelings, remember loved ones, and tell their stories. Courageous Kids activities emphasize ways for children and teens to give and receive support from each other. 

Courageous Kids programs also provide peer support and education about children’s grief for caregivers/parents.​
Courageous Kids' programming is funded through PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Hospice, grants, and donations, making services free of charge to all families.

CK News
Hot off the press!


​Please join us in welcoming our new CK group facilitators, Sarah and Dan! We are so happy to have both of these fantastic humans join our team. Sarah and Dan will be facilitating evening and school groups as well as helping at camp. Read more about them below... 
"Sarah is a graduate student in the Couples and Family Therapy program at University of Oregon. She was born in Virginia and lived in a new state every few years until starting high school in Oregon, and then moved to Eugene to attend U of O for a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Since graduating, Sarah worked at places such as ShelterCare and White Bird Clinic, and simultaneously pursued a passion for audio engineering until managing a local venue. In 2016, she ran sound for a Courageous Kids volunteer, who encouraged her to get involved, and has been coming back ever since! She is excited to continue involvement with an organization that she is passionate about. Sarah enjoys gardening, playing instruments, painting, rock climbing, and going on hikes with her rescue dog she adopted during quarantine. Something you’d never guess about Sarah is that she recently worked on a research study with HIV Alliance and has been published as a co-author in a scientific journal."
"I was born in Eugene, Oregon and have lived here until I left for my undergraduate degree. After that I moved to Bend, Oregon where I found my passion for all things outdoors. My main hobbies include climbing mountains with my dog, mountain biking, rock climbing and skiing. I was a ski instructor at Mt. Bachelor until the COVID shutdowns, then decided to come back to Eugene to start my graduate degree at the UO.
I first got involved with Courageous Kids in 2009 when I attended the weekly evening groups and the summer camp after losing my mother to a car accident. Courageous Kids made a huge impact on my life, so I decided to come back as a volunteer. Over the years I volunteered in different roles. I have been a camp counselor every summer since 2010, I travelled to different schools to talk about my grief experience with the CK theater troupe, and most recently volunteered assisting KJ with virtual youth groups. In October I was hired as a Bereavement Associate where I get to continue working with Courageous Kids and assisting youth in their grief journey."

FYI

If you are looking for virtual grief groups for children/teens/families. Here is a list of virtual groups that accept families from any location in the US (from jennylisk.com/pandemic):
 
The Christi Center
Austin, TX
512-467-2600
 
Mourning Hope Grief Center
Lincoln, NE
402.488.8989/402.486.0288
 
Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss
Mountainside, NJ
908.264.3100
 
Tamarack Grief Center
Missoula, MT 
406.541.8472  
 
Billy’s Place
Glendale, AZ
623.414.9838
 
 
If you're interested in more information about Courageous Kids programming, please call or email:
KJ Pfeiffer, MSW
Program Coordinator
458.205.7474
kpfeiffer@peacehealth.org
Courageous Kids Administrative Office
677 E. 12th Avenue Eugene, OR 97401