Hope Shines Bright deep in the heart” is the theme
for the 38th National Compassionate Friends Conference in Dallas,
Texas, July 10-12, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency .
Some of the special events at the conference will
include sharing sessions, the walk to remember, picture buttons, hospitality
rooms, memory board tattoo wall, reflection room, butterfly boutique, bookstore
and keynote speakers.
Over 100 sessions will be available for bereaved
parents, siblings and grandparents. They include sessions on circumstances of
the loss such as illness, accident, drugs or suicide; sessions for men and
women specifically; sessions dealing with healing; the grief related to family
and friends, long term and early grievers; using creativity to help healing,
and many other topics related to grief. Many sessions will be available to
siblings (teen and adult siblings) on how to deal with various issue that may
come up with parents and additional siblings such as multiple loss and parents
being parents.
Three keynote speakers will highlight the
conference. At the opening ceremony Kay Warren, co-founder of the mega Saddleback Church in Orange County, CA, is an international speaker and best-selling author who has a passion for inspiring and motivating others to make a difference with their lives. Her son, Matthew died by suicide at the age of 27. Kris
Munsch, whose son Blake was killed in a car accident, tells his inspiring
story of survival and how this quest inspired his famous Birdhouse Project. Gary Mendell will speak at the Friday
luncheon. He is founder and CEO of Shatterproof, a national organization
committed to protecting children from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. He
lost his son Brian in 2011 to addiction. At the closing ceremony Christopher Jones, whose son died of
Muscular Dystrophy, is the author of Mitchell’s Journey, a popular Facebook
blog about his son, his journey and the transformative effects it has had on
the lives of his family and himself.
One new addition to the conference is the Creative Café,
a three-part specialized area focusing on the use of creative arts, craft
making and good self-care practices in the healing process. Each of the three
areas originated in one or more of the traditional workshops, but the cafes new
come-and-go hours on Friday and Saturday will allow more time and a more
conducive environment for personal reflection, for completing actual take-home
projects, and for learning about and experiencing resources and techniques to
help in the grief process.
The first area in this new Creative Café will
provide a rich variety of art materials in addition to collage making. It will
be an open all day art studio. It is about getting in touch with where you are
in your healing journey. The second area is the crafty corner which will offer
make and take crafts that can be completed easily at the conference, as well as
those that can be completed at home, using you own loved one’s photos and
belongings. The third are is healing haven, a peaceful setting for relaxation,
renewal and recovery of the mind, body and spirit.
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