Holiday Gift Drive Supports Children in Grief Care

The community can donate unwrapped gifts or sponsor families enrolled in Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly program.

The Tidewell Foundation invites our community to help make holiday wishes come true for those who need it most by providing gifts for grieving children and families. There are multiple ways to support the Tidewell Foundation’s effort, which will benefit local families enrolled in Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly program.

Each holiday season, the Tidewell Foundation asks these children to share their personal gift wish lists. The Tidewell Foundation then works with generous individuals, businesses and community groups across Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties to ensure that each child and family receives their gifts, which are handed out during a holiday party held just for them. Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly program has expanded into new communities to serve more families in 2022, heightening the need for gifts this year.

“The holidays can be a difficult time for those in grief,” said Tidewell Foundation President Debbie Mason. “The gift drive helps create a positive memory and helps brighten the spirits of children and their families at a time they need it most.”

The Tidewell Foundation will supply donors with wish lists from the children and families in the program. Donors can shop for as many children and families as they wish — making this a great opportunity for businesses and community organizations to get their staff involved. All items should be unwrapped but labeled with the recipient’s name and delivered to either of the following locations by Monday, Dec. 5:

• Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly program: 6800 Professional Parkway, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34240
• The Tidewell Family Grief Center: 4151 37th St. E., Palmetto, FL 34221

Alternatively, donors can sponsor a family or multiple families through cash donations the Tidewell Foundation will use to purchase gifts on their behalf. Cash donations must be made by Thursday, Dec. 1 to give the Tidewell Foundation’s colleagues enough time to shop for gifts.

To adopt a child or family or make a donation, contact Megan Wenger, Tidewell Foundation, at MeganWenger@tidewellfoundation.org or (941) 552-7515.

Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly is the only evidence-based program in our region that helps grieving children ages 5-18 and caregivers through professional counseling, peer-support groups and therapeutic activities. The free grief sessions bring children together who are experiencing the complex emotions that follow the loss of a loved one, creating opportunities to process these feelings without judgment while sharing stories that foster comfort and connectedness with others like them. Blue Butterfly peer-support groups are facilitated by grief specialists and trained volunteers who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to support children and families. Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly program is 100 percent donor-supported and offered to all in need, whether or not their loved one was a Tidewell Hospice patient.

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About Tidewell Foundation, Inc.
The Tidewell Foundation, Inc. is an independent 501 (c) (3) charitable foundation established to ensure perpetual philanthropic support to Tidewell Hospice, Empath Home Health and the other affiliates within the Empath Health not-for-profit organization serving Southwest Florida. Charitable contributions to the Tidewell Foundation sustain and grow the critically important programs and services provided. Donor-funded programs offer compassion and comfort to those who need it most in our community by caring for all, regardless of their ability to pay. It starts with generosity and is paid forward with every patient connection, family served, and life changed. Discover how each donation strengthens our community; learn more by visiting tidewellfoundation.org.