KARA

Kara's mission is to provide grief support for children, teens, families and adults. Our guiding value is empathy. Every day we provide compassion and support to children and adults impacted by loss and grief. Our vision is to see people of all ages compassionately supported on their journey through grief so they can move toward renewed hope and meaning. Our clients include those who are grieving a death as well as those managing a terminal illness (their own or another's).

“Kara" was originally inspired from the writings of Henri Nouwen. In his book, Out of Solitude, he pens some poignant thoughts on caring and its connection with grief.
"Real care is not ambiguous. Real care excludes indifference and is the opposite of apathy. The word "care" finds its roots in the gothic "Kara" which means lament. The basic meaning of care is: to grieve, to experience sorrow, to cry out with."

Kara provides comprehensive grief support, crisis intervention and education to individuals and communities facing the difficult realities of grief and loss. Guided by empathy, every day we offer caring support to children and adults and provide a space where those in grief find deep relief in the company of others. Through a time-tested and highly effective peer support model (adopted from the Shanti Model of peer support originated by Dr. Charles Garfield), over 200 volunteers compassionately serve children and adults on their journey through grief so they can move toward renewed hope and meaning. Our services are designed to be accessible, and we are funded primarily by charitable donations and the heartfelt generosity of the community we serve.

Change, loss and trauma are natural in the cycle of life and grief is our natural reaction. Kara offers a safe and caring environment where those coping with death and dying can express and normalize their feelings of grief. Our peer services are provided by volunteers with experience in healing from their own personal loss and are carefully screened, trained and supervised. Our support model advocates listening, speaking, and acting from the heart in service to others. Kara is a self-referral organization and our services are offered to individuals, families and organizations in the Bay Area community.

Our services are provided primarily by trained volunteers who have experience in healing from their own personal loss. With the aid of professional staff and ongoing training, Kara's peer support volunteers provide crucial service to those grieving in our community.

At the core of Kara's identity is the belief that during times of grief even the most emotionally healthy people need the empathetic support of others who have similar experiences. Guided by empathy, our volunteers and staff uphold a passion for serving as a very personal healing force in the community. Key to the success of Kara's mission is our peer support model (adopted from the Shanti Model), which advocates listening, speaking, and acting from the heart in service to others. Our peer support model is a philosophy and a set of tools that our trained volunteers use to support and serve those who are grieving.

All of our peer support volunteers complete a 21-hour training program which prepares them to support and accompany others along the grief process. Continued training is provided throughout the year in small and large group formats. All candidates are required to attend an initial information session and submit an application to be considered for enrollment. Our annual training class is held in early March and information sessions are conducted in January. Our Spanish Services program conducts a separate volunteer training typically in September.

Since December 1976, Kara has served over 50,000 community member and trained over 1000 volunteers to support others who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Serving a growing diverse population and understanding how to do so with humble respect is our next challenge as we expand our services.