Rainbows is a grief support organization in the United States. It was founded in 1983, and works to help people cope with the emotional pain of life-altering loss and crises.
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The group works with people struggling with disruptive family events, like death or divorce, and with those suffering from the aftermath of large-scale crises and disasters, such as school violence, war and natural disaster.
Rainbows was established by Suzy Yehl Marta, after she was unable to find any resources to help her three young sons cope with her divorce. The organization began with three pilot sites in the Chicago area. Today, Rainbows has a global network of 6,500 community-based program sites and 40,000 trained volunteer facilitators who work directly with grieving children throughout the United States and in 17 other countries.
The group's National Honorary Chairperson is the actress Roma Downey, and Jade Kenny, Miss Teen International 2006, is the Rainbows Teen Spokesperson.
Programs
Grief support aims to address the emotional pain of families in transition. The "Sunbeams" group is for children, ages 3 and 4, "Rainbows" for children, from K to eighth grade, "Spectrum" for adolescents, from 9 to 12th grade, "Alumni" for children who wish to re-enroll in Rainbows, "Kaleidoscope" for adults, college age and up, and "Prism" – for single parents and stepparents.
Crisis response addresses issues arising from large scale disasters and crises. Rainbows runs "Silver Linings", a community crisis response program with editions for children, Kindergarten through High School, and for adults.
Pilot programs include "Child-to-Child", which aims to help children living with a mentally ill parent, "Luminaries", aimed at developmentally disabled adults with loss and transitions, and "MVP" (Message on Violence Prevention), developed for the DeAngelo Hall Foundation and used at workshops for at-risk adolescents
Awards and recognition
The group has received awards from the Children's Rights Council and the Points of Light Foundation. Supporters include The Alliance Group, Ronald McDonald House, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. It was rated “Best in America Charity” by Independent Charities of America.