College Park Elementary gives ‘grief bags’ to students experiencing loss

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — College Park Elementary School is working to make sure students have the tools they need to deal with grief.

Thanks to a grant from the Landfall Foundation, School Counselor Katie Akinli has been able to put together 36 grief bags, giving out eight so far.

Akinli says she got the idea after thinking about the additional loss people were experiencing because of covid.

The bags are filled with resources and materials to teach children about the different phases of grief after they have lost a loved one or experienced trauma. They include a homemade worry doll, books that are specific to their type of loss or trauma, and even resources for parents.

Akinli says she wants to help as many children as possible.

“Especially with kids they’re tangible sponges that soak up all the information available so we’re able to actually give them a bag to put in their hand with books and journals and we make a little worry doll together,” Akinli said. “We also have our school mascot is Hootie so we give them a little stuffed animal they can take home and remember just how much the people at school care about them to help them through this difficult time.”

Hoping to continue the program after the initial 36 bags run out, Akinli says she hopes other schools adopt the idea as well.