According to Debbie Rich, director of philanthropy and communications at Tu Nidito, the gala dinner and virtual auction are ideal for celebrating Mother’s Day while helping children and young people grieving a death or diagnosis of a serious medical condition. That’s the way.

“In Arizona, 1 in 13 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they turn 18, according to the 2021 Child Bereavement Estimation Model,” Rich said. “In southern Arizona, many of these deaths are traumatic in nature. Children are watching loved ones die from accidents, opioid overdoses, suicides, murders, and now her COVID-19. increase.

“As Arizona mourns the deaths of more than 40,000 people from COVID-19, helping grieving young people and families is more important than ever.”

According to Rich, five notable mothers of 2023 — Ann LaBelle, Linda Hardy, Sylvia Quigley, Laurie Nelson Wetterschneider, and Laura Baker — are Tunidito’s “no child should grieve alone.” Each mother has played a unique role locally. Bereaved family support.

As president of the Lovell Foundation, Lovell has committed over $9 million to Pima County and Arizona to promote understanding and support for families as they face serious illness, the end of life, and the grief that accompanies it.

“We don’t want to die and in our culture we tend not to like to talk about death, which makes it taboo and frightening. In fact, death is part of the cycle of life. , preparing families, enabling conversations, and planning can help take away the pain of death. This is a true gift,” said Lovell, a mother of six.

That gift was Linda Hardy’s first-hand experience. Linda Hardy has been the director of Tunidito’s program for 30 years, where she has mentored staff and supported hundreds of children and young people.

“My mother died when I was 15 and I was heartbroken, so it was very rewarding to be able to help provide services that I could not have,” says Sierra’s mother. said Colton’s grandmother, Hardy.

Sylvia Quigley and her son Christopher benefited from the Tu Nidito program after the death of her husband, Thomas Quigley. She now serves as a volunteer facilitator for her group of support for other parents and caregivers, and Tunidito says she shaped her experience as a grieving single mother.

Elan’s stepmother, Laurie Nelson Wetterschneider, has advocated for thousands of children through Tu Nidito and other nonprofits and foundations such as the Tucson Medical Center. More recently, Wetterschneider has become an end-of-life care advocate through the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and other organizations.

Now a retired first responder, Baker has dealt with life and death for over 20 years. She was the first woman to serve as Assistant Chief of Fire for the Tucson Fire Department, and was also the co-founder of Camp Fury for Girls. Most recently, Baker, along with her daughter Jordan, nursed her de Halo, the love of her life, Jackie, until she died of occupational lung cancer in 2020.

“My daughter was 17 when my spouse died. Through grief counseling, I learned that Tu Nidito is a resource. We know how important it is to be available on time,” Baker said.

Baker’s words are backed up by research.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that childhood grief, especially the death of a parent or caregiver, falls under Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and can have long-term consequences.

“The CDC has found that ACE is the root cause of many chronic illnesses, most mental illnesses, and most violence because the developing brain and central nervous system of children are greatly affected by ACE. Research shows that creating and maintaining safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for all children and families will prevent ACE and help every child achieve the best possible health and life potential. It’s been shown to be able to perform well in the field, and that’s our goal at Tu Nidito,” says Rich.