Events

Good Grief Program at the Boys & Girls Club

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Solace Tree To Offer
Good Grief Program at the Boys & Girls Club

Reno, NV (June 3, 2014) – The Solace Tree is introducing a new Good Grief Club, which provides support to children and teens, ages 5 to 18, who are dealing with loss. An orientation will be held Wednesday, June 18 from 6:00 to 7:30 at the Solace Tree, and dinner will be served. There is a monthly cost of $50 per family. For more information, email info@solacetree.org or call 775.324.7723.

The Good Grief Club will be an opportunity to help them cope with loss issues that could include:

  • Living in a single parent home
  • Living with someone who is an alcoholic or drug user
  • Having an incarcerated parent
  • Dealing with bullies in school, home or the neighborhood
  • Managing anger responsibly
  • Resolving conflict peacefully
  • Coping with loss and grief
  • Enhancing self-esteem
  • Living, learning, and growing through diversity

Participating children can benefit from learning how to self-manage more effectively in such areas of self-esteem, stress management, and social skills development. Children also learn about themselves and others; address their needs; formulate their thoughts, feelings, and actions as members of the Good Grief Club.

With more than 10 years of helping children and teens deal with loss from death, the Solace Tree staff and volunteers are well-prepared to help families dealing with the emotional strife caused by divorce, moving, visitation rights, loss of belonging(s), and remarriage, just to name a few. Through this program, children will:

  • Better understand their current life situations, as well as find communality and normalcy
  • Develop coping strengths
  • Feel safe within their group
  • Express feelings,

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Solace Tree Volunteer Training Sessions

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Reno, NV (April 19, 2014) – Become a volunteer and help support grieving children and teens. The Solace Tree’s next volunteer training sessions are Wednesday, July 23 from 5 to 9 p.m., Thursday, July 24 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 27 from 9 to 5 p.m. The Solace Tree mission is to provide … Read more

Butterfly Wishes Gala

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Butterfly Wishes 2015 March 12, 2015 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Silver Legacy Resort Casino 407 North Virginia Street Reno, NV 89502 The National Association of Catering and Events (NACE) presents the second annual Butterfly Wishes Gala, in partnership with, and benefiting The Solace Tree. Going on 11 years in northern Nevada, Solace Tree provides … Read more

Solace Tree Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Butterfly Wishes

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The Solace Tree is celebrating 10 years of providing service to the community with a special event, Butterfly Wishes, co-hosted by the National Association for Catering and Events (NACE), at The Grove (95 Foothill Road), on Thursday, March 6, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The evening will include a live auction of art created by Solace Tree children and teens, entertainment by the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra and others, silent auction, 50/50 raffle and live music. Tickets are $75 a person and can be purchased online.

Guests will be treated to signature cocktails: Butterfly Kisses (vodka, St. Germaine, fresh blackberries, cranberry & lime juice) and the Garden Party (vodka, fresh herbs, lavender syrup, citrus Juice, soda /water), as well as a menu of epicurean delights created by The Grove Executive Chef Shakka Moore. The menu includes:
•    Trio of duck – smoked duck breast, duck confit & duck bacon
•    Grilled watermelon, crumbled feta, basil & balsamic reduction
•    Fig, goat cheese, prosciutto cigarillo, port-pomegranate reduction
•    Much more will be featured, along with some surprise epicurean delights

“It is in line with the core values of the NACE organization to give back and support local charities, so when we were connected with the Solace Tree it was a great fit for both of us,” says Kate Patay, CPCE, of the Reno-Tahoe NACE Chapter. “Putting on a celebration of this magnitude is what we do best!”

“Our goal is to provide children, teens, and adults an opportunity to express, acknowledge, normalize and integrate their grief experience,” explained Solace

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The Solace Tree Shares Tips for Dealing with Loss During the Holidays

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Reno, NV (November 26, 2013) – The holiday season can be especially difficult for individuals and families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. “There is no right or wrong way to grieve,” shares Emilio Parga, Executive Director of the solace Tree. “Some have said that not having their loved one with them during the holidays has intensified their pain, others have talked about the joy that has been experienced through continuing traditions that were special to the loved one that they have lost.”

Solace Tree children and teens, along with their parents, have shared some guidelines that have made it easier to get through the holidays without their loved one. These are only suggestions, and may or may not be appropriate for your distinguishing circumstance.

  • Talk about your grief as a family and don’t be afraid to talk about the person who has died. Share your thoughts, feelings and memories with people you trust.
  • Invite children in the family to help make choices or decisions about what to do or not to do during the upcoming holidays.
  • Be prepared for all types of reactions. Each individual grieves at their own pace.
  • Children and adolescents need time to grieve. Allow them space, either alone or with support.
  • Keep the spirit alive for young children. It will play a role in their future beliefs about the holiday season.
  • Do things that are simple, such as only decorating one room instead of the whole house.
  • Shop online or through catalogs for gifts.
  • Be honest with your feelings. Try keeping a journal. Write a letter to

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Talking about 9/11

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Suggestions for teachers, parents and adults when talking to children about September 11th.

Adapted from Donna A. Gaffney, DNSc, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN

How do we begin the conversation with students who are so young that they only have knowledge of 2001 from parents and older siblings or friends? The following suggestions may help in beginning the conversation.

Language: Be consistent in how you refer to September 11, 2001

  • September 11th or September 11, 2001
  • 9/11, (pronounced nine-eleven) the numeric shorthand that has forever labeled this day in our history.
  • If possible, show younger students a calendar
  • 9-1-1: Do not use this way of referring to September 11. And correct those who may be using this term

Saying 9-1-1 is confusing, 911 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan

Geographic Considerations

  • Remember this is not just a New York, Washington or Pennsylvania event
  • Students in the metropolitan areas surrounding these cities may be much more savvy about using certain words (9/11, terrorism, etc) but they still may not have full comprehension of their meanings.

Maturity

  • Remember that as a student matures he or she may have a different understanding and new questions about September 11, 2001.
  • Twelve years is a long time in a student’s life. A child who was barely five years old will be at a completely different developmental stage at 16.
  • As children cognitively mature, they are able to comprehend much more information.
  • Adolescents are able to perform abstract reasoning
  • A child or teen may experience feelings of their younger selves on that day, i.e. a 16-year-old remembers the feelings of that day as a 5-year-old.
  • Be prepared

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UNR Grad To Finish Solace Tree Benefit Swim Around Lake Tahoe Saturday, August 31

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Robby Schlesinger, 23, spent the month of August swimming the perimeter of Lake Tahoe in memory of his father, Bob Schlesinger, who accomplished the same feat twice in the early 90s. Robby will finish his swim Saturday, August 31 at 10:00 a.m. at the same place he started a month ago – North Tahoe Beach at King’s Beach. He will present a check to Solace Tree President Dave Wertzberger at that time.

Robby’s swim took place in various legs, consisting of several miles a day in 50-60 degree water, spanning several days. While his father swam for charities such as the American Cancer Society and Save the Rainforest, Robby’s swim is to benefit the Solace Tree, whose message inspired him after he lost his father five years ago.

Bob Schlesinger swam Lake Tahoe 23 years ago while his son was still an infant. When Robby was 15, his father was injured in a car accident that eventually left him with severe chronic pain. After years of struggling with his condition, Bob Schlesinger took his own life.

As his family grieved, Robby was inspired by the message of the Solace Tree, which provides counseling and a safe environment for those who have experienced a loss to express their grief. In cooperation with Solace Tree Executive Director Emilio Parga, Robby has established Swimming for Solace, which has been collecting donations and pledges to directly support the Solace Tree.

The Solace Tree, Inc. a 501c (3) non-profit based in Reno, NV. The Solace Tree mission is to provide

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