When a child loses a parent, their life becomes a public event.
The levayah.
The shivah.
The re-entering the world, feeling like their loss is plastered across their chest for all the world to see and discuss. The kindhearted expressions of emotional support, homecooked suppers, Shabbos invitations, assistance in running the household, errands, and childcare.
In the initial aftermath of parental loss, the village often steps in to raise the child.
But as time moves on, communal memory of the child’s loss fades.
And the child remains alone with their grief…
It’s the little things that often hurt the most.
A 12-year-old tasked with the responsibility to burn the family’s chametz.
A preteen trying to navigate the social scene without her mother’s loving guidance.
A high schooler struggling to understand meforshim without her father’s help.
Everyday sights and scenes that most of us wouldn’t even notice can shoot sharp daggers of pain in tender hearts.
A mother kissing her preschooler before putting him on the bus in the morning.
A father learning with his son in shul.
A family enjoying a trip to the park—with both parents.
Links & Shlomie’s Club give grieving children a safe space where they can be seen and understood. Staff to support them as they speak and share, giving them tools to heal and grow. A community of peers who understand what they’re going through … because they’ve been there too.
And while no one can fill the parent-sized void in the child’s life, Links is there to support the child in their pain, to help with the little things… and the big ones too.
We have an ever-expanding range of services—monthly publications, weekend retreats, art & music clubs, in-person and Zoom events, separate hotlines for boys and girls, therapy referrals, legal & financial services, an exclusive clothing shop, chassan/kallah programs, and much more—because every griever’s journey is unique and requires a different level of support.
For the next 10 days, we’re working to raise $500,000 so we can continue serving the children we work with.
We can’t give them back their parents. But we can help their journey feel a little less lonely.
Donate now so no child should have to navigate their grief alone.