What is Children’s Grief Awareness Day?
Children’s Grief Awareness Day happens every year on the third Thursday of November. The day is celebrated by wearing blue to show your support, participating in activities that remind youth they are not alone in their grief, and events that raise awareness and funding for programs like Rainbows that help kids all around the world.
At Rainbows, we take this time before the holidays, when grief can be even more heightened, to emphasize our mission to create communities of young people so that no one has to navigate grief alone. We do this to honor those who have and are facing these challenges during the most emotionally formative years. Our hope is that the funding raised will continue to allow us to support youth all over the world with our free youth grief support programming.
See How You Can Engage Your Community This Children’s Grief Awareness Day
What is Grief?
Grief in it’s most general form comes from loss. Most define loss as a death and grief as the period of bereavement. At Rainbows we believe that while that is true, there are many faces of grief and loss, and it is the universal emotions that people, young and old, feel that reflect the experience of grief. Check out our resource section for more examples of loss and uncertainty that can lead to grief.
Get Involved in Rainbows’ Children’s Grief Awareness Day Activities
Look Who’s Wearing Blue!
Rainbows is about new friendships and about sharing with others who have gone through or had similar losses. No one talks about you, but it is nice and understanding.”
12-year-old Participant Testimonial
Ways to Engage in Your Community
Looking to get your community active and involved in advocating for Children’s Grief Awareness? Check out some ideas for how to engage your community.
Wear Blue with Your Crew
Challenge your community, friends, coworkers, family, theater troupe, pickleball team, you name it, to show their support by wearing blue and making a donation to Rainbows this November! Submit your photos to us here, and we will add you to our gallery of supporters.
Light Up Your City Blue
Each year, Rainbows petitions the city of Chicago to “Light Up Blue,” for Children’s Grief Awareness. Want to light up your city? Reach out to us, and we will support you in finding the right authorities in your area to contact.
Fundraising Ideas
When you do a fundraising/community outreach event, you need to advertise it well. That is key! Repeatedly and far in advance is crucial. Don’t be afraid to use multiple avenues for advertising—flyers, emails, social media, word of mouth, church bulletins, sermon announcements, etc. Make sure people who post the ads, and those who will view them, understand this will help support children. We often use the phrase “as little as $10 can help one child” (because that is the cost of one workbook). Pictures also help draw attention.
Some have done bake sales or potluck dinners. Others have done more extravagant things like a carnival. Of course, with all fundraisers, the less you spend on the execution the more you will net. That being said, you know your people best and what might go over well. A pancake breakfast? A spaghetti dinner? A summer fun night with a movie, popcorn and blankets? An 80’sthemed dance party in someone’s back yard? Don’t get overwhelmed. It is easier than you might think!
Below are some very good fundraising ideas from the internet:
Fundraising Ideas https://www.mobilecause.com/fundraising-event-ideas/
Fundraising Ideas for Churches: https://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/programs/church-fundraising-ideas/
Fundraising ideas for Schools: https://doublethedonation.com/fundraising-ideas-for-schools/
Fundraising ideas for Community Centers: https://www.mobilecause.com/fundraising-event-ideas/
Company Matching
Gather your coworkers and show your support for Children’s Grief Awareness Day by making a matched donation to Rainbows through your company! Each donation directly supports delivering free support groups to the youth that need them most.
Companies who currently match donations to Rainbows are:
| Microsoft |
| Apple |
| Google (Alphabet) |
| Salesforce |
| Adobe |
| Cisco |
| IBM |
| Oracle |
| Intel |
| HP Inc. |
| Bank of America |
| American Express |
| Goldman Sachs |
| JPMorgan Chase |
| Wells Fargo |
| Citigroup |
| Morgan Stanley |
| Capital One |
| Nike |
| Gap Inc. |
| Starbucks |
| Walmart |
| Target |
| Home Depot |
| Lowe’s |
| Costco |
| Coca-Cola |
| PepsiCo |
| Procter & Gamble |
| Unilever |
| Johnson & Johnson |
| Pfizer |
| Merck |
| Abbott |
If your company isn’t on this list, check with your supervisor to see if your employer will match your donation!
Rainbows has given my son words, feelings and other experiences to help him express and live through the challenges of his life right now. I know this has given him a strong foundation in accepting life’s challenges and tools to properly deal with them.”
Parent Testimonial
How You Can Support Through Rainbows
There are many opportunities to support Rainbows and participate in Children’s Grief Awareness every November. Check out the line up for this year!
Become a Facilitator
Rainbows for All Children trains adult volunteers in community-based sites such as schools, faith-based organizations, libraries or community centers to lead age-specific support groups for youth, ages 3-18, who are grieving from some type of loss. These groups provide a safe environment that encourages communication while identifying, navigating and discussing difficult feelings that accompany loss.
Consider becoming a facilitator today and supporting the youth in your community year-round.
Become a Rainbows Ambassador
Want to get to work to bring Rainbows’ programs to your community? Become a Rainbows Ambassador!
Ambassadors:
- Must be 18 or older
- Take our free two hour training
- Research and engage potential schools, organizations, and community centers to provide Rainbows’ free support groups.
- Host community meetings to inform the public about Rainbows’ work
- Deliver fliers and other informational materials to appropriate sites in their community to inform the public of Rainbows programming.
Paddles for Rainbows: DINX in Highland Park
In honor of Children’s Grief Awareness Day, Rainbows is hosting a pickleball tournament on November 19th, 2026! Join the fun as a team or spectator for a night of friendly competition, fun, food, and youth grief support.
Rainbows helped me understand that grief was not only something you experienced when someone died. Grief could also come from absent parents, family changes, divorce, and other situations that can be hard for children to understand or talk about. That group helped me feel like I was not alone. It gave me a safe place to talk about things that I probably did not have the words to explain at the time.”
Pearson Cassanova, Rainbows Alumna
