Resources We Trust: Bright Spot Network - Teaching Kids About Cancer

Resources We Trust: Bright Spot Network - Teaching Kids About Cancer

Your toddler notices more than you think. Even before they have the words for it, kids pick up on stress, on change, on the quiet shift in a room. This week, meet Carissa Hodgson, LCSW, OSW-C, Director of Programs at Bright Spot Network. Carissa's own experience with childhood loss shaped her work: helping parents raising young kids navigate a cancer diagnosis, and helping them believe their children will be okay. Bright Spot Network supports parents diagnosed with cancer while raising kids ages zero to eighteen. You'll hear why silence isn't protection, and why kids left without information sometimes fill the gaps with something scarier than the truth. You'll learn about free resources: books, art kits, financial grants, virtual support groups, and programs built by child life specialists for kids as young as zero. If you're a parent trying to figure out how to talk to your kids about a cancer diagnosis, or if you know a family who is, this episode is for you. 01:15 — Meet Carissa Hodgson: Director of Programs at Bright Spot Network 04:36 — What Is Bright Spot Network? Support for Parents with Cancer 05:54 — Why Kids Pick Up on Stress Before They Have the Words 06:51 — Using Children's Books to Explain Cancer to Young Kids 08:50 — Where the Name "Bright Spot" Comes From 12:04 — Free Resources, support groups, art ideas and more 19:26 — How to Connect with Bright Spot Network Resource Links Helping Children Cope with a Parent's Chronic/Advanced Cancer [https://www.brightspotnetwork.org/resource-center/helping-children-cope-with-a-parents-chronic-cancer] Bright Reads [https://www.brightspotnetwork.org/bright-reads](free books for families about cancer, feelings, grief) Click here [https://www.brightspotnetwork.org/parenting-metastatic-cancer] for a free program for parents with metastatic cancer and health care professionals Check out our Other Helpful Resources page [https://inheritanceofhope.org/other-helpful-organizations/] for more support Email Carissa directly

Resources We Trust: Wonders & Worries - Helping Kids Facing Parent Illness

Your child already knows something is wrong. They sense the changes in your stress, notice the shifts in your routine, and feel it in your heartbeat when something's on your mind. So the real question isn't whether to tell them—it's how. Wonders & Worries answers exactly that. Julie May, National Outreach Coordinator and child life specialist with 23 years of experience, shares how this national nonprofit supports children ages 2–18 navigating a parent's serious illness or injury—from cancer and ALS to burns and spinal cord injury. And it's completely free. Wonders & Worries takes complex adult themes and packages them into something a child can actually hold and understand. Whether in-person or virtual, families can access curricula, parent webinars on specific conversations (How do I talk about hair loss?), and a curated resource library. Bringing your child into your illness journey isn't a burden. It's an invitation to belong. They're already walking this with you. Let's help them find their role. 00:00 How to Talk to Kids About Illness 02:04 Meet Wonders and Worries: Free Support 04:03 Expert-Led: Why Child Life Specialists Matter 07:23 Virtual Support: 6 Sessions to Cope Better 14:17 How to Access Free Resources 16:03 Don't Be Afraid: What Kids Already Know Helpful Links: Wonders & Worries website [https://wondersandworries.org/] The WonderWorks® kit [https://wondersandworries.org/for-professionals/wonderworks/] was created to help families with children and teenagers navigate the challenges of a parent’s serious illness or injury from the comfort of home. Julie May's email: Julie@wondersandworries.org [Julie@wondersandworries.org] Call 1-844-WE-WONDER (1-844-939-6633) or email at helpline@wondersandworries.org [helpline@wondersandworries.org] for help. Wondercast podcast [https://wondersandworries.org/resources/podcasts/]: https://wondersandworries.org/resources/podcasts/ [https://wondersandworries.org/resources/podcasts] Use this link [https://wondersandworries.org/podcast/season-7-episode-61-inheritance-of-hope/] to listen to the Wondercast episode that featured Inheritance of Hope Check out the Inheritance of Hope Resource Directory [https://inheritanceofhope.org/resource-directory/] for this resource and more.

Resources We Trust: Find Comfort with GriefShare

When grief feels isolating, and your questions seem unanswerable, where do you turn? In this week's episode, Sam Hodges, President of Church Initiative (the parent ministry of GriefShare), joins us to discuss this Christ-centered grief support resource that creates space for honest conversation and community. Learn what it looks like to find relief and how GriefShare groups help people move from being comforted to becoming comforters for others. Additional Resources Not ready for a group yet? Sam and the Church Initiative team have created several books to help you understand your grief—whether you're wrestling with loss, searching for permission to feel what you're feeling, or wanting to understand what Scripture says in the middle of your pain. All are available at the GriefShare bookstore and on Amazon (Living Without Mom, "Is My Grief Normal?", Loss of a Spouse, What God Says About Your Grief, and more). 0:00 Finding Comfort After Loss: What Really Helps in Grief 1:24 What Is GriefShare? An Introduction to Christ-Centered Grief Support 4:05 How Grief Support Groups Help You Heal: The Power of Community 6:46 The GriefShare Approach: Healing Through Scripture and Safe Spaces 9:02 How to Find and Join a GriefShare Group Near You (13-Week Program) 11:34 Best Grief Recovery Books and Resources from Church Initiative 14:15 Prolonged Grief Disorder: When to Seek Additional Grief Support 16:32 How to Start a GriefShare Group at Your Church 17:54 Moving Forward in Grief: Sam Hodges on Hope and Healing Helpful Links Visit GriefShare: https:// [https://www.griefshare.org/]www.griefshare.org/ [http://www.griefshare.org] Find a group near you: https://find. [https://find.griefshare.org/find]griefshare.org/find [http://griefshare.org/find] Browse books on the GriefShare bookstore: https://griefshare.org/bookstore [https://griefshare.org/bookstore] Check out the Inheritance of Hope Resource Directory [https://inheritanceofhope.org/resource-directory/] for more resources.

Resources We Trust: Funeral Registry Support Through GiveWillow

When someone experiences a loss, friends and family often ask, “What can I do?” GiveWillow provides a simple answer. In this episode, April McClure, Chief Engagement Officer at GiveWillow, shares how the first funeral registry platform, often described as “a wedding registry, but for funerals”, helps families communicate their needs during one of life’s most overwhelming seasons. Inspired by the founder’s own family experience with sudden loss, GiveWillow allows loved ones to offer meaningful support in ways that matter most. Families can create a personalized registry for funeral expenses, meals, pet care, errands, memorial projects, charitable donations, and other practical needs. Supporters can then choose exactly how they want to help, easing both financial and emotional burdens. GiveWillow makes needs visible and easy to fulfill, transforming gestures of support into meaningful action. The service is completely free, fully customizable and designed to meet people wherever they are in their grief journey. Maybe you know someone in need of this service. 00:00 Introduction & GiveWillow Overview 01:44 Introducing GiveWillow: A New Resource for Grief 03:05 How GiveWillow Started: Founder's Story of Loss 05:14 Understanding the Funeral Registry Concept 09:04 How GiveWillow Supports Grieving Families 09:25 What Can You Add to a Funeral Registry? 14:57 Managing Grief Finances: Practical Support for Families Learn more about GiveWillow here [https://givewillow.com]. Follow them on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573941265506] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/givewillow/].

Resources We Trust: Build Meaningful Faith Connections with Faithly

What if the church community you were looking for was just one connection away? For so many volunteers and ministry leaders in the Inheritance of Hope community, faith drives everything they do. And yet until now, there has been no dedicated space to find meaningful connection and resources within the broader ministry world. Faithly fills that gap, opening doors to ministry groups, virtual events, a blog, a job board, and a growing community of over 5,000 ministry leaders. In this episode, Alicia Lee, founder of Faithly, takes us inside the platform she built after a pivotal moment of faith changed everything. Faithly is a digital networking platform built specifically for those serving in ministry. Think LinkedIn, but designed with the church community in mind. If faith is part of your story, this episode is for you. 00:00 How Faithly Connects the Ministry Community 07:09 Why Ministry Leaders Need a Dedicated Networking Platform 12:00 How Technology Is Strengthening Church Communities 1 14:28 From Goldman Sachs to Faithly: Alicia Lee's Founding Story 19:05 Building Meaningful Faith Connections Through Faithly Create your free profile on Faithly here: https://faithly.co/ [https://faithly.co] Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faithly.co/ [http://www.instagram.com/faithly.co] Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/faithly/ [http://www.linkedin.com/company/faithly] Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefaithlyco/ [http://www.facebook.com/thefaithlyco]