Children's Bereavement Program
Thanks for being the best helpers
The Benefis Peace Hospice Children’s Bereavement Program gives grieving children the remarkable gifts of hope, joy, and healing after the loss of a loved one. Programs include therapeutic camps, retreats, support groups, and special events – all are completely free.
Children's Bereavement Services
Learn more about the services offered by the Children's Bereavement Program
For Volunteers
Volunteer with the Children's Bereavement Program by completing the application.
If your child needs help coping with loss, you can register them in the Children’s Bereavement Program. Call Benefis Peace Hospice at (406) 455-3040.
Our History
In 1982, the founder of MYMOM'S, Carol Holoboff, experienced the Dougy Center for Grieving Children in Portland, Oregon, as a student nurse. This was the first children's grieving center, and its concept was endorsed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.
Five years later, Carol did graduate studies in this field with the goal in mind to institute a similar program in Montana. The need was obvious since there was no registered grief center between Boise, Idaho, and Fargo, North Dakota.
During this same period, Carol's son, Francis, became terminally ill and died, in 1989. The following year she trained at the Dougy Center, learning how to establish this program. Upon returning to Great Falls, Montana, Carol privately incorporated a grieving center.
The first MYMOM'S kid support group meetings in 1991 and 1992 were held in the basement of Carol's home, with three or four children attending. The first Camp Francis was in 1992 and has been going every year since. Darcy's Hope teen retreat began in 2008 and our TAG groups for teens in the schools began in 1994.
Then Carol applied for hospice work. The Hospice board met, and the (former) Columbus Hospital endorsed her program, incorporating it into Peace Hospice of Montana, based in Great Falls.
MYMOM'S was founded on the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to grieve in a supportive and understanding environment.
The name "MYMOM'S" comes from a children's book written by Carol Holoboff, RN, BSN. "My Mom tells me everything I want to know. She even answers my questions about scary things like death and dying."
Due to the confusion of services provided, the program was renamed "Children's Bereavement Program."
Mission Statement
The Children's Bereavement Program provides a safe environment for children and teens with grief to ask questions, feel the feelings of bereavement, and have fun. It is our mission to expand this environment to all aspects of the child's life through education for family, friends, schools, churches and the community.
We Believe
- If a child is old enough to love, they are old enough to grieve. Grief is a normal response to the death of a loved one.
- The duration and intensity of grief are unique to the individual.
- A supportive environment can help children and teens with the tasks of grief work.
- Caring and acceptance assist in the healing process. Each individual has it within her/himself to heal.
- By relating feelings, concerns and behaviors, we encourage children to place their current grief into the context of life and its many losses.
- The task of grief is to accept the reality of the death, to experience the pain of grief, and to reinvest in living and loving.
- Children need permission to have fun and take a break from their grief without feeling guilty.
- Play is the work of children.
- Grief means different things at different times.
- As children develop, their understanding and processing of their loss continues.
- The Children's Bereavement Coordinator and identified volunteers have a working partnership where decisions are jointly made and discussed in the best interest of the children and their families.
Our Goals
- To provide a safe and supportive environment
- To educate children and their families about grief
- To help children express their thoughts and feelings
- To teach children skills for dealing with future losses
- To have FUN!
