FRIENDS WAY Awarded CVS Health Foundation Hometown Fund Grant

We’ve excited to announce that FRIENDS WAY has received a grant from the CVS Health Foundation Hometown Fund! The CVS Health Foundation established the Hometown Fund as a way to give back to the communities it calls home. It is an annual commitment to invest in nonprofits that are advancing health equity, addressing social determinants of health and increasing access to workforce training and education in their home states of Rhode Island, Connecticut and neighboring Massachusetts.

The grant directly supports FRIENDS WAY’s programs, which provide approximately 300 children a year with free grief counseling through age-appropriate, peer-led group sessions. Sessions are held throughout the school year, three days a week, every other week, and specialized groups for children affected by suicide or addiction are held every other Wednesday. Of the total participants, 28% have lost a significant loved one to drug overdose, 16% to cancer, 16% to heart attack, 15% to illness, and 9% to suicide. Overall, 77% of children served have lost a parent.

The trauma associated with the death of a loved one can significantly impact a child’s life and their social/emotional health, and if gone unattended, can often result in declining academic performance in school, problems concentrating, and feelings of isolation, which can result in difficulty with social relationships. Bereaved children are also at greater risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, as well as substance abuse. Through a seven year study completed at the University of Pittsburgh, it was found that “Early identification and intervention are the keys to protecting children against the effects of parental loss.”

FRIENDS WAY serves children living in RI, CT, and MA, ages 3-18 from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds (55% of total participants served are children). Over the past two years, FRIENDS WAY has been working to serve more BIPOC children and families (28% of total served), specifically those living in Central Falls, Providence, and Pawtucket. FRIENDS WAY serves the parents/caregivers of each child as well, and often parents who have lost children (45% of total served).