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Rachel
Burrell with friend. Rachel is the founder and past director of Fernside,
which she and her husband began after the death of their son, David.
A
Safe Place for Kids to Grieve
Fernside is a center for grieving children which grew out of a family's
experience with grief following the death of their son. The center is
located in Cincinnati inside a donated three-story house and offers
a variety of services to help children and teens cope with death. Through
counseling, creative play, group support, and simple, tender compassion,
thousands of kids have been helped since Fernside's founding.
Fernside had its beginning after Paul and Rachel Burrell lost their
college-age son, David, in a bicycling accident. They received much
help from Compassionate Friends, which provides support to parents who
have a child die. Using the strength and experience gained through her
own suffering, Rachel turned outward and volunteered her efforts with
Friends. Soon she recognized that grieving parents are sometimes unable
to support their surviving children through the loss of a sibling. After
some research, including visits to other centers for grieving children,
the Burrells opened the doors of Fernside in 1986—its mission:
to provide "a safe and loving, non-judgmental haven for grieving
children and teens."
Today, Fernside's 100 trained volunteers work with approximately 300
children at any given time. The children range in age between 4 and
18 and are never pressured to participate or share feelings. "We
believe each child grieves in his/her own way and at his/her own pace,"
says Rachel. "Our walls are covered with children's drawings and
photos of our group members and of those who died. Because not all children
have a language for pain, and because we want to offer lots of ways
to safely express feelings, we keep lots of dress-ups, puppets, musical
instruments, and arts and crafts supplies. Most fun of all, we have
a Rumpus Room for physical play which helps to release pent-up aggressive
feelings in a safe setting."
Fernside also gets involved when a tragic death in the community affects
children by sending volunteers to visit schools to offer counseling
and guidance. Fernside charges no fees and depends solely on the support
of people who believe in the work it does. Certainly Rachel and Paul
Burrell have given much by transforming their personal tragedy into
a heart-felt offering for kids who need a hand to hold through grief.
They have named Fernside after a street near Walnut Hills High School
with the same name. When their son was a student and wanted a ride home,
he would say, "I'll be waiting for you at Fernside."
 Fernside
is a safe place where grieving children and teens can find their own
way in their grief journey with the support of their peers and loving
volunteers. One child said, "Fernside is like a club, just for
kids like me."
Visit Fernside's web site
Make
a donation
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