You may have heard us talking about a little thing called Amplify Austin over the past few weeks? In case you missed it, Amplify Austin is a city-wide day of giving. Collectively, over 400 nonprofits across Austin are trying to raise $4 million in 24 hours (6 pm March 20th to 6 pm March 21). The Christi Center’s goal is $17,000.
Will you help us?
With over 400 amazing causes to choose from, why support The Christi Center?
1. Your gift helps solve a problem that every person in our community will face. 8,000 people will die in Austin this year – each one leaving behind a grieving circle of family and friends. 100% of us will lose someone we love, and most of us already have. We provide free, ongoing grief support to people who are adjusting to life after the death of a loved one. Doesn’t it make you feel just a little better knowing that The Christi Center is here to support you (and your family and friends) anytime you need it?
2. Grief may feel like the worst heartache you can experience, but left unresolved it can actually lead to bigger problems. You know the old adage “Time heals everything”? A grieving heart does begin to heal on it’s own timeframe, but about 15% of people will experience Complicated Grief, which has been linked to substance abuse, major depression and even physical illnesses like cancer. Resolving grief depends on a lot – your relationship with the deceased, the nature of the death, your other support systems, and more. Any of us are at risk for a grieving process that becomes more complicated than we expected – The Christi Center is always here for you if that happens.
3. Kids and teens grieve too – and imagine how it feels to be the only kid in your class that’s even experienced grief. One in 7 kids will grieve the death of a parent or sibling before the age of 20. Because grief often looks different in children and teens and influences their school performance, friends/social choices and more, it’s critical that kids have access to a support network of other kids who understand what they’re going through. We offer twice monthly groups for children at teens at our 2 locations in Austin and Georgetown, and we also offer groups onsite at local schools for kids who can’t come to us.
4. Most people don’t know how to help someone who is grieving. Awkwardness and avoidance are common responses, neither of which are helpful to the bereaved. To help us all better support the grieving people in our lives, The Christi Center partners with helping professionals, churches, and community groups to offer training on grief and bereavement. No one should have to walk the grief journey alone – and you can be one of the people that helps them.
5. Your support keeps all our services free of charge to anyone who needs them, for as long as they need them – including you. We serve 500 people a year through our support groups and another 2500 through our information/referral network and training on grief and bereavement. We’ve been serving Central Texas for 26 years and we’re a one-stop shop for any questions on how to get support after a loss. Your gift makes that possible. Donate today.
6. Your dollar goes a long way here. We have over 200 volunteers that give us the equivalent of 5 full-time staff worth of hours. We only have about 3 full-time equivalent staff that we pay, and we own our property debt-free. This means that it only costs us about $500 to serve one grieving person for an entire year.
7. You’re lucky to live in Austin. Forbes magazine named us America’s Fastest Growing City in 2014 for a lot of awesome reasons – you’re lucky you live here already! And you’re even more fortunate that a place like The Christi Center exists – appropriate grief support is sometimes hard to find, but grief support that is completely free of charge is a real gift to our community. Help make sure that The Christi Center can keep up with demand generated by Austin’s growth. Support our great city and The Christi Center by donating through Amplify Austin today.
