Behind the Scenes of Faith Kids’ Intentional Holiday Programming

With charitable grant support from the Eluna Network, secured by the Forefront Living Foundation (FLF), Faith Kids hosted the Great Gingerbread Bash, a holiday-themed Camp Erin experience designed for children and their families navigating the loss of a close loved one. With more than 30 children in attendance, the event provided a day of reflection while incorporating lots of holiday cheer, including a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Every activity was thoughtfully designed to help families remember, grieve and celebrate together.

A few of the intentional program activities included:

• Loved-Ones Snow Globe: Families crafted personalized snow globes with photos of their loved ones, adding decorations, snow and glitter. Each globe was lit with an LED light and displayed during Santa’s special visit.

• Candle Making: The adults created custom candles, personalizing them with scents, colors and designs of their choosing. The activity offered a calming sensory experience and gave everyone a personal keepsake.

• Feelings Snowball Fight: Designed for tweens ages 10-12, children wrote down sad thoughts they have had, crumpled them into “snowballs” and tossed them at targets during this activity. It provided a fun and safe way to release emotions through movement and laughter.

• Gingerbread Village and Community: Every age group designed gingerbread houses and figures representing the people, places and things that bring them comfort. The process of decorating offered a creative outlet and opportunity to reflect on gratitude and love.

“With the generous grant support from Eluna Network, we created an event that provided Faith Kids participants thoughtful, meaningful activities to honor their loved ones. Everyone enjoyed celebrating the holiday season while making happy memories with family and friends,” shared Sarah Jones, FLF Philanthropy Officer.

By Amee McGough