What a rollercoaster the Eryn’s Embrace process has been thus far. I
had no idea what I was jumping off into when I fearfully followed God’s lead to develop a program that would offer help, hope, and healing to grieving children. A lot has been accomplished in a very short period of time, but we honestly have not scratched the surface of what still needs to be done. In the building of our website, there was a unanimous decision to include a blog. Another first for me but here goes…
I spent a fair amount of time considering what the topic would be.
First, I thought maybe the objective should be an introduction of myself and why I have become so passionate about grief support for children. I also felt very compelled to share Eryn’s story of dying way too young and leaving behind two young daughters. I debated having our first blog be an informative look at the roadmap that got us to where we are in such a short amount of time. Finally, I decided to just go with the two words that continued to be in the forefront of my mind... growth and gratitude.
The outpouring of support has been unbelievable, and we are so
appreciative! In our efforts to raise awareness about the mission of Eryn’s Embrace, the response has been overwhelming. Everyone seems to want to support EE in some capacity. What a blessing that has been! It has also been an absolute confirmation that this is a ministry that is so needed, regardless of fears and multiple roadblocks.
Our meeting attendance doubled in size within just a few meetings!Our unexpected growth could not have been accomplished without the time, efforts, and donations of so many supporters in our community. This quick, unexpected growth is also an indicator of one key factor: there is a need for child grief support in Montgomery, AL. Ranking 2nd in the nation, 1 in 10 children in Alabama will lose a parent or sibling by the age of 18.That is a remarkable statistic. Even more remarkable is the lack of easily available, affordable resources to support these children after experiencing such a significant loss. This program would not be growing like it is if there wasn’t a need, and we are so honored to be able to facilitate filling the need in our community.
We have a heart of gratitude for everyone who has been involved along the way in the Eryns Embrace journey. There are too many to even attempt to mention here. We are grateful recipients of much support including monetary donations, gifts of services, volunteer hours, and many prayers. These generous gifts are necessary to continue our monthly meetings and will be needed even more as we progress and extend our reach.
We are so thankful for the opportunity to offer help, hope, and healing to grieving children through continued community support and partnerships. Eryn’s Embrace requests that you join forces with us to help raise awarenessby liking and sharing our blogs and social media pages as well as considering donating or making a monthly pledge to help fund our efforts in supporting children who have lost a loved one.
-Erin