A Special Place to Heal your Soul!
Suncoast Kids Place provides support for children, teens and families following the death of a loved one through support groups and education.
Kids Place is a little house near Bay Hope Church where children go to learn about the grief process and how to get over from the loss of a loved one. Kids gather in this great and peaceful place twice a month for hour and half and we share our experiences, have fun, and build hope, confidence and strength. While in here, children have fun in five different rooms.
The game room, where I mostly hangout all the time, here you can find foosball, ping pong, air hockey and basketball games. The volcano room has a punching bag, dummies and some pillow swords, so kids can freely get rid of any anger or stress. In the hospital room kids play with real medical materials and forget about the pain they had of losing someone in a hospital. The dress up and the art room are places where kids can be cute, crafty and forget their sorrows.
When gather time comes kids start by identifying themselves, saying why they are there and how they are feeling. At this time they do activities related to how to heal their feelings by listening to each other and sharing experiences.
This is a great place I recommend to parents to bring their kids whenever they need this kind of help for their life. It is a very nice, friendly environment where they will make friends and heal their souls.
- Nicole, 11 years old
Most of what I am about to say you have probably heard before but I just wanted the staff of Suncoast Kids Place to know that this organization was brought to my attention by a co-worker (thank you, thank you, thank you) and SKP has been a tremendous blessing to me and Elissa by helping us overcome our grief, help us deal with Steve’s (my partner and Elissa’s dad) suicide. You guys came at a time in our lives when I was about at the end of my rope, not only not knowing how to cope myself but also not knowing how to help Elissa. She had become very withdrawn, sullen, guilt-ridden, angry and antisocial. Everything survivors of suicide go through. She wouldn’t talk to counselors and one counselor even suggested that I have her committed (baker acted) to save her from herself and others (thank God, I didn’t listen, and understood the overwhelming hurt she was going through). We have been attending SKP since January 2009 and have seen so many positive changes in Elissa and it’s all due to SKP. Words can’t express my gratitude to Suncoast Kids Place for seeing the need in Tampa. Elissa and I aren’t 100% over this, nor do I think we ever will be. I also know we have a very long and hard road ahead of us before we can ever consider ourselves whole (or as whole as dealing with a suicide can make a person), but with SKP’s help and comfort, we will overcome. Of that I am positive. Thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart for starting to lead Elissa and I out of the blackest whole I have ever experienced in my life.
- Karen, parent of a high school girl