SANFORD — Hannah Davis, now 11 years old, was a baby when her father died in a car crash. More recently, there have been a number of deaths in her extended family.
Her mother, Lori Parent, who has since remarried, was 31 years old when the crash 10 years ago instantly made the Steep Falls wife a widow with two children and another on the way.
Liz Mott, also a mother of three, found herself in similar circumstances when her husband died on Mother’s Day two years ago. The family was living in South Paris at the time, and Mott suddenly found herself widowed at 38, and having to pack up her young family and move back to Wells in short order.
The two women were coping with their own grief ”“ and so were their children.
They all found comfort, solace and coping skills at the Center for Grieving Children in Portland.
Now, the 25-year-old agency is expanding its reach, with an on-site center housed at the education center at North Parish Congregational Church.
Marking Children’s Grief Awareness Day Thursday, executive director Anne Lynch made the announcement of the new center’s opening.
“Making our services available within York County has been a long-time goal,” said Lynch. “Although we regularly serve York County families at our Portland home, we have heard repeatedly ”“ from medical and education professionals, church and funeral directors, law enforcement personnel, and bereaved families themselves ”“ that operating in York County would make a great difference in the lives of local families.”
Lynch estimated 20 percent of the families who utilize the Center for Grieving Children in Portland hail from York County. With busy work schedules and a tough economy, it hasn’t been easy for them to make the drive to Portland for services, she said.
Now, they won’t have to.
Mott’s children were 11, 6 and 5 years old when their father died.
“I had to keep myself together,” said Mott. “Everyone was counting on me.”
She found the Center for Grieving Children and the family made the trip to Portland weekly for the past two years.
“I felt at home at the center,” said Mott. “I can’t say enough about what the center has done for our family.”
The founder of Sunnyfield Farm and Baking Co., Mott is forging ahead in the business world, and is concentrating on expanding the baking side of her business ”“ currently her biscotti can be found at several locations around southern Maine.
Hannah Davis and her siblings are doing well, too, said Parent, who noted the program’s value to adults as well as children.
“For one hour a week, I felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders,” she said.
The center began operating its York County satellite program this month, with groups meeting on Wednesday evenings in the annex building of the church. More than 10 center staff and trained volunteer facilitators support the program, which launched with five families and could double its service within a year.
Sanford Public Schools awarded $5,000 to the satellite site from a federal grant to increase counseling services for elementary school children and Sanford Institution for Savings and Kennebunk Savings Bank each contributed $2,500. As well, if fundraisers can raise $2,500 from local businesses, Kennebunk Savings Bank has pledged an additional $2,500 match.
On hand to mark the official opening were community members and representatives from a number of organizations, including Goodall Hospital and Southern Maine Medical Center, Sanford School Department and North Parish Congregational Church, among others.
Chairman of the North Parish Church Council Ken Eason read a letter on behalf of Rev. Diane Wendorf, who could not attend Thursday’s opening ceremonies.
“We’re pleased to welcome you into our building and our hearts,” he said, in part. “Our commitment is to be of service to our community.”
Hannah Davis perhaps said it best: “I just love going to the center. It makes me feel so good and safe. I can cry if I want to. (The center) helps me get through it.”
Her mother, noting the impact of their father’s death on her three children, agreed.
“It helped me help them,” said Parent.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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