IT UP GRIEF

GRIEF AND LOSS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS

SERVES: Grieving adults, teens and children in the White Rock area and greater Dallas Sitting at the table with the Grief and Loss Center group (a non-religious organization that meets at Wilshire Baptist Church) is at once heartbreaking and life affirming. A 90-year-old cries openly as he discusses the death of his wife of 75 years. A young mother who lost her child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome comforts him. Before Jennifer Hibdon helped found this group, her own parents committed suicide. The faces at the table change session by session, but there is always a mingling of sorrow and hope. This is just as it should be, says Laurie Taylor, co-

founder, along with Hibdon, of the Grief and Loss Center of North Texas. “Agony and joy can live in the heart at the same time,” says Taylor, a grief and loss specialist certified in thanatology, the study of death, dying and bereavement. “You don’t get over it. Time does not heal it. Instead you learn to live with the loss, and it becomes part of the fabric of your life.”

VOLUNTEER: Serve as a helper in a children’s grief group at a local elementary school. Prepare a cake or cookies for an event. Make heart pillows for children and teen groups. Assist with office duties.

East Lake Pet Orphanage

SERVES: Homeless pets

East Lake Pet Orphanage is a no-kill, nonprofit organization that houses dozens of Dallas dogs and cats, many of which need rehabilitation. Second Chance Treasures at 10101 Garland is an antique store owned and operated by ELPO. When you buy antiques and collectables at the shop, sales support the shelter.

VOLUNTEER: The shelter needs people to provide exercise to the animals (aka dog walkers and cat cuddlers) as well as volunteers to help with special events.

GIVE: It can cost $200 or more to care for one animal, so the shelter relies heavily on monetary donations for rehabilitation efforts. You also can give items such as new towels, blankets, sheets and pet beds; collars,

ATTEND: Each November, the Grief and Loss Center hosts a dinner and silent auction. Details related to the 2015 event will be announced on the website.

GIVE: Donate amazon.com gift cards for research books, postage stamps, copy paper, arts and crafts supplies and bottled water. Pay cash or check via the website or mail.

CONTACTS:

Laurie Taylor, executive director

4316 Abrams

214.452.3105 mygriefandloss.org

Photo by Fernando Rojas leashes and harnesses; and safe toys. The office also needs a laptop and high-volume color scanner or printer.

CONTACT: 10101 E. Northwest Hwy. 214.349.ELPO elpo.org

Center For Survivors Of Torture

SERVES: Refugees and asylum seekers who are survivors of torture in East Dallas and greater Dallas

The East Dallas-based nonprofit Center for Survivors of Torture is a first responder that aims to address the mental health needs of these survivors. The center facilitates healing and helps ease the transition into new beginnings. It provides specialized services to address the psychological, medical and social needs of survivors through services such as legal referrals, training opportunities and state-of-the-art professional service delivery.

VOLUNTEER: Get involved through client support, special event planning, administrative assignments and other positions.

GIVE: From $25 to $5,000 donations, you can help provide survivors with bus passes, medication, food, wound care, housing assistance or mental health services.

CONTACT:

Celia VanDeGraaf, M.A., executive director 4102 Swiss 214.827.2314 cstnet.org