Clouds have silver linings. Now Rainbows does, too. Judie Meise, Rainbows Registered Director from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, worked with local area churches to offer and conduct Silver Linings (Rainbows Community Crisis Event Program) for young people who now have to cope with family members being deployed in the military. "With their parent(s) or other loved ones gone, the children were going through a lot of emotion and were not getting the support they needed," she said.

Judie knows about children. She and her husband, Ernie, are empty nesters who have raised four sons. "I learned that the kids didn't always feel comfortable talking to their parents," explained Judie, who became a Rainbows volunteer in 1990. She used the Silver Linings materials, that were "generically written" for children experiencing crisis, as the basis for the six-session peer support program.

The sessions helped participants get to know each other and learn that they shared the same feelings about their loved ones being deployed. Meeting together instilled hope and confidence to enable each child to deal with their personal crisis and encouraged them to look at their lives and realize that beginnings (changes) can bring new opportunities.

"Children and adolescents coming into Silver Linings were basically trying to deal with their situation alone," Judie pointed out. "They didn't have other friends to talk to who were in the same situation. Lack of understanding on the part of other friends often left them feeling they needed to be defensive about their situations. The children tried to deal with their feelings alone and often their feelings became stuffed inside."

Judie added that although the Silver Linings material was written for young people, "We found providing support for the adults was equally important." Keying in on the Silver Linings' session topics brought about excellent peer support for the adults who showed up with the children attending the program.

"One girl was experiencing stomach aches and missed school a lot until she started going through the Silver Linings sessions," Judie noted. "Often times, nobody was paying any attention to the children. It is unbelievable how often children are overlooked.my heart is with them. Children need to know that it is okay to be angry or anxious, or fearful, but there are appropriate ways to express their anger and other feelings." Judie added.

She described the program's results as "simply fantastic," adding: "We saw some wonderful things happen to the kids as they were provided peer support discussion and help in working through the emotions they were experiencing. Being able to talk with others experiencing the same crisis can be tremendously therapeutic."

Volunteers trained as Rainbows Facilitators conducted the sessions. "I worked together with Laurie Olbrisch. (Rainbows executive vice president who authored Silver Linings) from Rainbows International Headquarters, to coordinate this project," Judie continued. "This program is truly beneficial. The results were so gratifying that we hope to offer Silver Linings to others" Judie said. For more information about the special Silver Linings program in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, please contact Judie Meise at 920-458-4429.

Rainbows, which has its international headquarters in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, was established in 1983 to provide children, adolescents, and adults support while grieving a loss from a life-altering crisis, such as death, divorce, or other painful transition. The not-for-profit organization offers training and curricula for establishing peer support groups in schools, hospitals, social service agencies, and faith communities.