When University of Texas sophomore Dina Ragow called The Christi Center, she had no idea how much it would change everything – both then and in the future. Dina had just lost her mother to colon cancer, right on the heels of losing her only sibling, Dana, to leukemia just two years prior. She could …
Heart Connections: When A Simple Hug Sparks a Chain Reaction of Love Read More »
On March 2-3, The Christi Center will once again participate in Amplify Austin, a citywide day of online giving. This year our goal is to raise $40,000 in 24 hours, which would support the cost of providing grief support services for 40 adults for an entire year! To reach this goal, we’re looking for ambassadors …
Amplify Austin: Volunteer from your desk (or phone)! Read More »
Our Kids Who Kare program serves our youngest grievers (ages 5-12) and their parent/guardian with twice-monthly groups. For our children’s groups, we offer dinner for the children and their caregivers (who have concurrent meetings) to make the craziness of feeding kids and getting them to the group on time less of an issue. It also allows …
by Roque Hesson Overcoming losing my mother when I was five, my brother when I was ten, and my stepmother when I was twenty-two has shown me so much. The grief process will never be the same for everyone; the grief process will never be delicate; the grief process will never become routine. There is …
by Stephanie Williams This past Christmas, I was waiting with my husband at our departure gate in the airport on our way to visiting my family for the holidays. The quiet man next to me turned and suddenly told me that we made a lovely couple and reminded him of his son. While striking up …
by Sheena Yazdandoost The Christi Center will present an Art Show, featuring artwork from our Kids Who Kare, Teen and School Groups, and adults who have used art to express their grief journey on Wednesday, May 7th, from 6-8pm. Come and enjoy the art, support your community of grieving individuals, and learn more about how …
by Michelle Russell My name is Michelle Russell and I am a volunteer with The Christi Center as a Healing Hearts Ambassador through the Junior League of Austin. I chose to work with The Christi Center because I was quite moved by the work that they do. Having lost my mother when I was 13, …
by Katie Arens, LCSW — Peer Support Coordinator at The Christi Center When we find ourselves overcome with grief after losing a loved one, it can be a challenge to find the energy to care for our own day-to-day needs, much less provide care for those outside our nearest and dearest. Yet, there are proven benefits …
The Christi Center is a volunteer-driven organization. While we do have a small paid staff–we have close to 200 volunteers each year who contribute, on average, more than 10,000 hours annually. We’d like to spotlight some of those volunteers who are making a contribution of their time and talents–the only way we’d be able to …
by Barbara FitzPatrick 2008 was a wonderful year and one of the saddest for me. It was the year I got married and the year my brother died, with just 7 months in between events that sent me through the spectrum of emotion. I’ll never forget where I was the moment I got the call …
