The Healing Chickadee

11/20/2025

https://www.courant.com/2025/11/20/ct-residents-nonprofit-helps-to-comfort-children-coping-with-death/?share=uociuhttt2f01nt1nhwd

The Healing Chickadee is partnering with 30 funeral homes in Connecticut to help convey messages of comfort for a child in mourning.

11/19/2025

For those of you who may not know Dr. William Petit, his beloved wife and daughters were murdered in a horrific home invasion in Cheshire. In the face of unimaginable loss, Dr. Petit chose a path of hope and purpose. Through the Petit Family Foundation, he has spent years helping other victims of violence and supporting programs that lift children and families during their darkest hours.
This year, we applied for a grant—and we are humbled and grateful to share that we were awarded funding to send The Healing Chickadee grief program to organizations serving families touched by violent crime.
Because of this generous support, we will be able to provide our comforting chickadee plush, healing activities, gentle music, and “Tweethearts” messages to organizations such as Parents of Murdered Children, Survivors of Homicide, and others walking alongside families who are grieving the unimaginable.
Every Healing Chickadee delivered represents a small moment of comfort—a soft place to land—for a child or family carrying deep sorrow.
❤️ Thank you to the Petit Family Foundation for believing in this mission of love, healing, and connection. Together, we are helping families find hope again

11/19/2025

I was happy to be invited onto a morning radio show to talk about the Chickadee.

Grieving is a strange feeling. We don’t talk about it enough but it’s a process 100 percent of human beings will go through. We learned about Connecticut-based non-profit, Soulful Sydney, Inc, dedicated to children’s emotional health and offering programs tailored to help kids learn to grieve ...

10/14/2025

04/30/2025

https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/nyberg/nyberg-healing-chickadee-organization-helps-children-navigate-grief/

CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Healing Chickadee is a program dedicated to helping children through the ups and downs of grief. The creator of the program knows the pain all too well, losing her brother sudd…

10/31/2024

What is Santa Claus for a Cause?

Saturday, November 9th 10:00am- 2:00pm
Vicinanza Studio in Southbury

Two children's craft projects (just make a small donation)
Cookie decorating and wooden ornament coloring

A sale of donated Santa Claus decorations

A photo session with Santa and Mrs. Claus. You take all the pictures you want for a donation to the Soulful Sydney projects that are dedicated to mental health of children facing some of life's challenges.

Oh yes, AND you can purchase raffle tickets to win a Holiday Lottery Tree. You could win! And then you could win AGAIN!

A HUGE thank you to Justin Bette for his generous sponsorship!

10/29/2024

A holiday gift that is fun, creative and could be very lucrative! A Connecticut lottery tree with $100 worth of scratch off tickets.

Your raffle ticket purchase will support children's mental health programs.

And the lighted tree is nice to have too!

https://go.eventgroovefundraising.com/santa-claus-for-a-cause

10/27/2024

Putting the fun in fundraising! I need my sister in law-the woman with the ability to turn anything and everything BEAUTIFUL. But she isn't here so I need your input and assistance.

We have a fundraiser for the programs of Soulful Sydney on Saturday, November 9th at Vicinanza Studios in Southbury. One of our offerings is a Holiday Lottery Tree. YES, maybe money DOES grow on trees! This would be a fun item for you to win but even more fun to give as a gift. There is $100 worth of Connecticut Scratch offs. The tickets will be on sale on line and in person at the event. The computer draws the winning ticket so it's fair.

Here is the problem: This is where I need someone to help me make it "pretty." This is what it looks like so far. I have two angels at the top and a red bow, some ornaments and a tragic little garland of red poinsettias.

Anyone want to weigh in with suggestions?

Thank you!

10/19/2024

My sweet grandbaby (3 years old) was crying yesterday. I'm always sad when she is sad. It just breaks my heart. But what I've learned as I've aged is that it's not bad to be sad. Sometimes kids (and adults) need to just cry. Because it makes us uncomfortable, we tend to try to cheer them up, minimize their pain, or talk them out of their feelings.

My dear friend, David Friedman, wrote a song, lovingly sung by another dear friend, Christina Connors, that speaks to this very idea.

Appropriately, it's called, "It's Not Bad to be Sad." I clicked my phone onto the website, chose videos and scrolled to "It's not bad to be Sad." We watched it together and she had tears rolling down her face, I held her on my lap and said, "Yup, it's ok to cry. I hear how sad you are." We sat there until she had cried enough.

Check out the song. There are several on the site that you can click onto for any variety of situations. "There is Life" is great. "A Different Light" is helpful when you are having a hard time seeing all sides of a challenge. Let me know if you find one that resonates with you.

And if you have a crying three year old, put her on your lap and listen together. Trust me. You'll both be better for it.

09/19/2024

https://donorbox.org/children-living-with-substance-use-disorder

Soulful Sydney has three programs that are helping children.
Healing The Healing ChickadeeChickadee-A grief program for children
The Soulful Forest for children living in a home where substance use disorder is present
Grandpa Sage-taking the power of words into classrooms

What is YOUR heart's desire? What children's need would you like to assist with today?

We are a nonprofit that places every dollar of your donation in the hearts and minds of children.

Please follow your heart on this fundraiser today! Thank you

03/02/2024

A friend of mine posted this. I love it.