INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Hundreds of grieving military families gathered in the greater Cleveland area this weekend.
The Midwest Regional Military Survivor Seminar & Good Grief Camp ran August 2 - 4 at the Embassy Suites in Independence and was hosted by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).
President and founder of TAPS, Bonnie Carroll, said the workshop gives families a chance to find a sense of comfort, letting them know they are not alone like she once felt after losing her husband in combat.
"At the time, you feel like you were all alone in the world, that you’ve lost everything. But to be here with a community of others who really understand, just means the world," Carroll said.
Adults were invited to a three-day seminar that featured sessions led by experts in the fields of grief, suicide and traumatic loss.
Children and teens had a separate program called the TAPS Good Grief Camp, where they learned to cope with their loss and begin the healing process through games, crafts and other age-appropriate activities.
Families came from all over, including Texas, Arizona and Connecticut.
A few dozen were local to Northeast Ohio, like Christine Wilson, who lost her husband nine years ago.
"It’s so powerful and so awesome to be among these women and men, and to share our grief and our love, and what it takes to be an over comer. We don’t have to keep wearing that mask. We can take it off," Wilson said.
Families seeking help can contact the 24-hour TAPS hotline at 1-800-959-TAPS or click here.
