Southwest Florida Chapter

The Compassionate Friends

Supporting Family After a Child Dies

"We NEED NOT WALK ALONE"

 The Compassionate Friends is a peer-to-peer group organization providing support for parents, siblings, and grandparents who have experienced the loss of a loved one. We have monthly local in-person meetings and also provide a Zoom option for the meetings. Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions about these meetings, we want you to participate and we will be glad to answer any your questions. 
 
“The Compassionate Friends is about transforming the pain of grief into the elixir of hope. It takes people out of the isolation society imposes on the bereaved and lets them express their grief naturally. With the shedding of tears, healing comes. And the newly bereaved get to see people who have survived and are learning to live and love again.” – Simon Stephens, founder of The Compassionate Friends 
 
TCF Credo
Sibling Credo
Grandparent Credo

Offering Understanding, Friendship, and Hope to Bereaved Families

We are sorry for the reason you are here, but we are glad you have found us. The purpose of The Compassionate Friends is to have a safe place to share our experiences with each other so we can learn healthy ways to deal with our loss and to figure out how to integrate this new reality into our lives. While our lives have been forever changed, we have learned that it is possible to have joy again – although it may not seem like it right now.
We are here to offer you hope that things do get better.

The Mission of The Compassionate Friends

When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated. The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family member experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.