West Palm Beach, Fla. (Tuesday, November 4, 2025) – Pandora’s Kids is excited to announce its first Lanterns for Loss Event commemorating National Children’s Grief Awareness Day, on Thursday, November 20th, in conjunction with Clematis by Night in downtown West Palm Beach. Local families who have experienced a loss are invited to participate in this special event honoring their loved ones and raising awareness of grief services in our community.
The event will begin at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, where, from 3 pm to 5 pm, families can decorate a lantern in memory of their loved ones. In addition to volunteers from Pandora’s Kids, an artist and a children’s therapist from Rhythms of Hope will be on site to help guide children in using art to express their grief. Lanterns and decorative supplies will be provided, and families are invited to bring any supplies or mementos they wish to use as well.
Families who cannot attend the event at the library can request a lantern in advance at the Pandora’s Kids website and bring the completed lantern to the event.
All lanterns will be displayed in a pop-up memorial garden at Clematis by Night. At sundown, the lanterns will be illuminated. Attendees at the event are invited to visit the garden for a moment of peace and remembrance. Representatives from Pandora’s Kids, Rhythms of Hope, and Trustbridge’s Camp Good Grief will be on-site, providing information on grief resources in our community.
For more information and to request a lantern, visit pandoraskids.org.
About Pandora’s Kids
Pandora’s Kids is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2014 by Valerie Staggs, who lost her husband in a drowning accident in 2009. As a struggling widow and mother to a grieving child, Staggs recognized the need for children’s grief support services in Palm Beach County. Pandora’s Kids funds events and programs where children in grief can enjoy fun activities surrounded by children who are just like them. Through peer-to-peer support, children in grief learn they are not alone and develop friendships with kids with whom they share their grief journey. Pandora’s Kids currently serves over 100 families throughout Palm Beach County. pandoraskids.org
About Rhythms of Hope
Rhythms of Hope is a community-based organization that provides creative, therapeutic experiences, at no cost, to children and families grieving death and non-death losses in Palm Beach County. RoH’s vision is to create safe spaces for grieving children and their families to connect, grow, learn, breathe, and be seen. An important goal at Rhythms of Hope is to increase awareness about the healing impact the arts has on our minds, bodies, and souls. rohwpb.org
About Trustbridge’s Camp Good Grief
At Trustbridge’s Camp Good Grief provides children in grief the opportunity to identify ways to cope with change, improve self-esteem, learn to recognize and validate feelings, identify safe ways of grief expression, and recognize that having fun and celebrating are still a part of life. Camps are open to children residing in Palm Beach or Broward County, ages 8 -17 (18 if still in high school) who are grieving the death of a loved one more than 3 months prior to the date of the event.
About National Children’s Grief Awareness Day
Created in 2008 and recognized by organizations around the world, Children’s Grief Awareness Day is observed every year on the third Thursday in November (the Thursday before the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving). This time of year is a particularly appropriate time to support grieving children because the holiday season is often an especially difficult time after a death. Children’s Grief Awareness Day is designed to help us all become more aware of the needs of grieving children and of the benefits they obtain through the support of others. childrensgriefawarenessday.org