Christie Carden knew the pain of loss at a young age. As a junior in high school, she lost her father. At seventeen years old she struggled to find meaning to the emotions moving through her yet gave up on her fight after only four counseling sessions, needing instead to be “strong for her family”. Not until college did the nightmare of grief find a way back into her life, and by then people expected her to be over it and to have worked through whatever pain may have been inside. A young girl without the resources of people who could help her understand the inevitable nature of death and the world she lived in.
Fast forward 10 years and Christie Carden knew she wanted to make a meaningful difference in her community. She had a desire to volunteer, to work with kids, in some capacity or another. A friend of Christie’s told her about Kate’s Club and thus began her journey down a road that could not have been clearer. She began by volunteering as a camp counselor to about 10 twelve-year-old girls. To say she jumped headfirst into it is an understatement. However, Christie will be the first to tell you that this has been a beneficial experience for her as well. Working with children in this situation gives you a newfound respect for the bravery with which they share their stories. Christie would say the exposure gives you perspective and “ helps you step up.”
Many people suffer the eventual death of someone close to them, but most never know how to deal with their emotions. Christie certainly knows how that feels and now she has an opportunity to help others down the road.
Would you like to share your story? Please get in touch with Kate's Club! KC has free grief support with grief resources, grief counseling resources, grief training, and volunteer work in Atlanta and surrounding places in Georgia. Kate's Club is a growing nonprofit in Atlanta with grief specialists for kids and young adults going through bereavement. Our goal is to make a world where it is okay to grieve.