Imagine hosts press conference regarding NJ bipartisan grief education bill

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ — On Nov. 18, in honor of National Children’s Grief Awareness Month, Imagine hosted a press conference announcing a bipartisan bill from state Sens. Jon M. Bramnick and Joseph P. Cryan that will provide education on grief and loss to all students in grades eight through 12 in health and physical education classes in all schools across New Jersey. The event was attended by members of the Imagine community, who shared stories of their grief journeys and insight into the benefits of including grief education in school curricula.

Imagine is a nonprofit organization that offers free, year-round grief support groups for children and young adults who are coping with a loss due to death. Concurrently, support groups are available for the parents and guardians of the children in the groups. Groups are offered in English and Spanish. Imagine also offers grief and loss education and training to the community. For more information, contact Imagine at 908-264-3100 or [email protected].

Speakers, including Bramnick, Cryan, and Keith Hertell, founding Imagine board chairperson, spoke about the 142,000 young people in New Jersey who will be bereaved by the age of 18, having lost a parent or sibling. That’s one in 14 children. Cryan said he is certain this legislation will make a difference.

Additionally, those gathered heard Diana Creaser, a senior at Montclair High School, share her experience following the death of her mother this past spring. She believes this bill will ensure that others who share a similar experience will receive the support they need. 

Imagine participants Elizabeth King-Quezada and her daughter, Ava Quezada, shared their feeling that all educators need to be trained in how to speak to students about grief, stressing the importance of helping students who are grieving express their feelings in a positive way. Ava, a 9-year-old who lost her little brother earlier this year, added that she would like to see grief education made available for younger students as well.

Additionally, Altorice Frazier, executive director of Parents Engaging Parents, a statewide parent advocacy group, spoke about the impact of the pandemic on all children and how so many had lost loved ones along with a loss of safety. 

“Over the past two and a half years, the pandemic has impacted our children in ways as parents we could not have imagined,” Frazier said. “Some of our children lost loved ones, but they all lost a sense of safety and a part of their childhood. As I work with families all over the state, parents have shared stories about the impact COVID has had on their children. And the question many were asking: ‘What can I do to help my child?’”

Justine Asante, director of partner operations for South Ward Promise Neighborhood, shared her experience of working with Imagine’s Newark program staff as they respond to schools in need of support in the aftermath of a loss. 

“The response and support that Imagine and other grief support centers provide not only creates such a safe space for children and adults to mourn the death, but also normalizes each individual’s reaction to the death and highlights their unique pathway to healing,” Asante said. “While it will remain essential for children and families to have grief support centers responding and providing an outlet to process their grief after a loss has occurred, it is also critically important to equip children with the knowledge about grief prior to ever experiencing a loss.”

Imagine Executive Director Lindsay Schambach said, “This bipartisan bill is one of the largest ways to ensure that every child and family in every community in New Jersey knows that grief support exists, and that grief is the natural and normal response to loss. We stand with our children and families who are grieving today and every day.”

  Imagine: A Center for Coping with Loss