About Give Grief A Voice Project

Weeks after my son Hudson died, I sat down with a writer and family friend. I wanted her to help me organize all the thoughts and feelings that were swirling through my brain. The story she edited for me, written in my own words and from my own perspective, was a treasure. Its significance grew as my mourning turned to grief. When I got the idea to start Buzzy’s Bees, I knew the story was a great way to introduce Hudson to everyone who wanted to learn more about him and about me.

Because of my work for Buzzy’s Bees, I’ve met other parents who are grieving the death of a child. In speaking with these families, I’ve come to realize how important it is to listen to their story and assure them that their little one will be always be remembered.

Then I got an idea. What if Buzzy’s Bees hired professional writers to record each family’s story, then hired professional artists to turn those words into a piece of art each family got to keep? With that, the Give Grief a Voice project was born.

Eight families participated in the first phase of this special project. The second phase, which will include ten additional families, is set to launch in January 2020. Ultimately, I hope to publish all of the stories alongside the artwork in a book.

The project’s first goal is to help the families who have experienced the death of a child, but the secondary goal is to help anyone who reads these stories learn how to better support the grieving people in their own lives.

A donation to the Give Grief a Voice project is a gift to the Arts, as well as a commitment to amplifying voices in our society that have traditionally gone unheard.

– Amanda Drews