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Thanks you for visiting the website of the Eastern Jackson County Missouri Chapter of the Compassionate Friends. We are a non-profit self-help support group for bereaved parents, grandparents or siblings offering friendship, understanding, and hope to families grieving the death of a child of any age, from any cause. There is no religious affiliation and there are no membership dues or fees.
Whether your family has had a child die or you are trying to help those who have gone through this life altering experience, The Compassionate Friends exists to provide friendship, understanding, and hope to those going through the natural grieving process.
We understand the pain you are feeling as all of our members have experienced the death of a child, grandchild, brother or sister. The secret to TCF success is simple. As seasoned grievers reach out to the newly bereaved, energy that has been directed inward begins to flow outward and both are helped to heal. We are truly sorry for the circumstances that made you eligible for our support group but we are here to share your grief. We wish to extend our sympathy and warmly hold out our hands in friendship. Attending your first meeting takes courage. We offer hope and understanding at our meeting. At our meetings we share our experiences and have found that in doing so we do not feel so alone in our grief. The sharing is up to the individual and you are not pressured to share, it is your choice. Those who attend often find a comforting network of support that only other bereaved parents can provide. Please try to attending at least 3 meetings before deciding if it is beneficial to you.
The Compassionate Friends was founded over 40 years ago when a chaplain at the Warwickshire Hospital in England brought together two sets of grieving parents and realized that the support they gave each other was better than anything he, as a chaplain, could ever say or provide. Meeting around a kitchen table, the Lawleys and the Hendersons were joined by a bereaved mother and the chaplain, Simon Stephens, and The Society of the Compassionate Friends was born. The Compassionate Friends jumped across the ocean and was established in the United States and incorporated in 1978 in Illinois.
Each chapter, along with the supporting National Office, is committed to helping every bereaved parent, sibling, or grandparent who may walk through our doors or contact us.
Today TCF has about 660 chapters serving all 50 states plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam offer friendship, understanding, and hope to bereaved parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members during the natural grieving process after a child has died. Around the world more than 30 countries have a Compassionate Friends presence, encircling the globe with support so desperately needed when the worst has happened.
We welcome you to attend our monthly meeting on the 3rd Thursday of the month at Walnut Gardens Community of Christ, 19201 RD Mize Rd, Independence, MO
Feel free to bring a friend or family member with you!
We need not walk alone. We are the Compassionate Friends
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