The Solace Tree

The mission of The Solace Tree is that all children, teens and their family members have the freedom to express their feelings associated with death in a safe and loving environment. We believe that through our peer support programs and educational opportunities for schools and the community, children and teens will learn to cope and adjust to the changes in their lives.

Our History

In 2002, while teaching at an elementary school and finishing his master’s degree in counseling, Emilio Parga found out that he had cancer. That same year, students in Emilio’s class lost parents to suicide, accidental death and cancer. In his attempt to provide these children with emotional support, not only did Emilio find that many kids and teenagers lose a parent, sibling or caregiver in Washoe County elementary, middle and high schools throughout the year, but he also discovered that, there were no grief support programs for them. Battling cancer at the time and all too well knowing a child or teen’s need for support when a family member or caregiver dies (Parga’s father died when he was ten) Emilio decided there was no time to wait for someone else to start a program, he created the Solace Tree.

Today, The Solace Tree serves over 200 children, 50 teens and their 80 adult family members or caregiver(s) each month. Our 15 open-ended peer support groups meet every other week and are divided by age, type of death (illness, sudden death, homicide, suicide) and who died (parent, sibling, grandparent or friend). The concurrent 6 adult support groups meet at the same time for the caregiver of the child or teen who is attending group. Since our founding, The Solace Tree has served over 2,500 children, teens and their families and has received national acclaim for our peer support group model for helping children and teens cope with the death of a family member.

The Solace Tree relies on the generosity of individuals, businesses and foundations. We receive no government funding and are supported entirely by private donations and professional training fees. We never charge families for our services.

The Solace Tree would not exist without the 52 stellar volunteers and the dozen Solace Angels.