On Angels’ Wings (OAW) attended the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG) Symposium in Kansas City, MO, from June 4–6. Founder and Executive Director Michelle Cramer was joined by Michelle Slavens, Director of Support and Vice President, and Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Member Micah Clark. 

The OAW team traveled to the symposium with the goal of learning how to better support grieving children—particularly those with a medically fragile sibling or who are aware of their own terminal prognosis.

“I remember doing a session for one of our long-term journey kids, a heart warrior who's 11 years old,” says Cramer. “We nearly lost her last year due to complications with her heart. During her family’s session, we were playing games like Red Rover, but her parents were more gentle with her than with her younger siblings. She broke down, and as I held her while she cried, she told me she just wanted to be a normal kid and do normal things, that she was tired of everyone making her run slower, be safer. It’s heartbreaking to see these children suffer from a loss of childhood, a loss of normalcy, medical trauma, and the fear of not getting to grow up. We want to help them at least process that grief in a healthy way so that they can find joy amidst the loss.”

The symposium offered critical education on serving grieving children, particularly those facing anticipatory grief due to a sibling’s illness or their own terminal diagnosis. Key takeaways included:

• Understanding grief on the trauma continuum, such as “twilight grief,” where the focus shifts from death to living meaningfully in the time remaining
• Trauma-informed care practices, especially for children impacted by chronic medical conditions or complicated bereavements
• Creative strategies to help children express emotions safely, including therapeutic art, memory rituals, sensory experiences, and movement-based outlets
• Practical insights on building volunteer teams, securing resources, and structuring grief camps and outreach effectively
• A renewed commitment to grief-informed workplaces and schools, inspired by efforts like New Jersey’s statewide grief education initiative

These insights come at a pivotal time as OAW officially launches its Legacy of Hope Children’s Grief Program, designed to support two underrepresented groups in the children’s grief space: Children who have lost an infant sibling, and children with terminal diagnoses who are aware of their condition.

The program will include downloadable grief tools for families to utilize together at home (currently in development) and Children’s Grief Camps. The first day camp will be held at the OAW Studio in Springfield, MO on December 6, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., open to OAW recipient children ages 8–12. Additional camps and expanded grief programming for the broader OAW recipient community (including dads and siblings of all ages) are planned for 2026 and beyond.

“We're honored to take this next step into serving families on a deeper level,” says Cramer. “For years, we've wanted to do something more for the siblings of child loss or with a medically fragile brother or sister, but the timing wasn't there. We now have the dedicated team needed to see this through. There are hardly any resources available in the communities we serve for siblings of infant loss specifically, and we have seen the profound and lasting impact that such a loss can have on children.”

While in Kansas City, the OAW team also connected with staff at Overland Park Regional Medical Center, one of its Kansas City hospital partners, and hosted a dinner to honor the Kansas City-based volunteer photographers. On the return trip, they met with Joplin-area volunteers as well, reinforcing their commitment to community connection and support.