The death of a baby can be very difficult on a child. They
witness their parents wrestling with overwhelming grief, and struggle with
their own feelings of sadness and confusion. These children deserve a day just
to be carefree children, playing with their parents in the sunshine and having
fun, and each year Sweet Pea Project offers those families that kind of a day
at their annual Sweet Pea Sisters & Brothers Picnic. At this year's
picnic, 106 children decorated paper butterflies with watercolor paint, acrylic
paint, colored pencils, crayons, markers, and glitter glue in honor of their
sisters and brothers. Artist and Sweet Pea Project founder, Stephanie
Paige Cole, then helped the children create a giant mural using their
butterflies as leaves on a butterfly tree. The mural will be unveiled on
National Children's Grief Awareness Day, November 21st, with a special cookies
and cocoa reception for the artists who created this touching piece of art at
Manheim Township Public Library, and will remain on display there during
regular library hours from November 21-30. During the mural's stay, the
library will have Sweet Pea Project community event videos available for
viewing. They will also have books specially chosen to suit this topic
and Sweet Pea Project informational brochures will be available as well. To learn more about our annual children's picnic and the ways in which we
strive to create fun and healthy ways for children to express their grief,
please visit www.sweetpeaproject.org/picnic.
