Blue Water Hope

Who We Are

Blue Water Hope is a 501c3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2024 to provide our community with support and healing resources for grieving parents. Our focus is on families who live in St. Clair and Sanilac Counties in Michigan.

Each of our volunteers has been impacted in some way by the loss of a child that has led us through a journey of grief. We believe that the pain of child loss is a burden that does not need to be carried alone, and that community support can improve the mental health and physical well-being of those who find themselves living through such tragedy.

We have noticed that often, even though family and friends are a valuable resource of love and support, grieving parents can still find themselves feeling alone in their thoughts and their pain. We have found that through reaching out and connecting with other parents who have experienced the death of a child, we have been able to find a community of empathy and understanding.

Even though individual stories can lead us down different paths - some through miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth, illness, accident, suicide, or any other heartbreaking circumstances - we know that the pain of losing a child is universal and pierces through social backgrounds and religious beliefs to create a unity unlike any other.

The death of a child can shatter the strongest heart...

... rip away feelings of safety and control...

... cripple the most solid of footholds...

... and consume the minds of parents.

We can find ourselves unable to work, unable to get out of bed, unable to eat or sleep, unable to talk to others about what we are feeling, and questioning our own self-worth. Irrational thoughts can become rampant and our minds can begin to believe lies that can consume us.

It is in these darkest of times, when we are drowning in pain so deep that it threatens to destroy us, that reaching out for support is more important than ever.

For some - reaching out might mean connecting here with Blue Water Hope and making a phone call, meeting for coffee, or attending an event.

For others - reaching out might mean being brave enough to browse this website and begin considering what steps could help with surviving today and thinking about tomorrow.

For all - reaching outside of our own minds and situations and acknowledging the fact that we are not alone in our loss and that we will survive after losing our children is crucial and will be beneficial to our relationships with our spouses, our other children, our friends, and our community. We must value and prioritize our own mental, physical, and spiritual health in order to be present for our loved ones - they deserve it and so do we!

Blue Water Hope does not have all of the answers, nor are we licensed counselors or therapists - but we are a group of caring volunteers who are offering support. If we are unable to answer questions or fill needs, we will help to find someone who can.

We are here to help parents who have lived through unimaginable loss to connect with others who have too.

We are here to listen to stories and help rebuild lives.

We are here to remind you that your life is just as important as your child's and that you are strong enough to keep moving forward, one day at a time.

In turn, families will each find themselves in different places along their journeys... some will be brand new to loss and desperately seeking help in figuring out what is next and how to survive, while others may be further down their path and able to offer a listening ear or a helping hand.

Our aim is to bring people together in this common bond and to provide our community with helpful resources to support each other through the process of healing.

There is strength in community and there is hope in our future together.

So if you have experienced the loss of a child, or if you know of someone who has - reach out.

Even if you are afraid, even if you are angry, even if the pain of sharing words seems impossible... reach out.

The impact that your story can make on others can have life-changing effects.

We pray earnestly for wisdom along this journey and for compassion and understanding when others have experienced circumstances that we have not lived through ourselves.

We pray for strength and gentleness for those in our community who are able to reach out to help, and we pray for bravery and courage for those who are seeking help to make that first step.

We pray for hearts to see beyond personal beliefs so that those who may be walking on different paths or in different ways can connect and find unity in healing.

We pray that our words and actions never hurt or harm, but that those on the receiving end of communications can feel our love and compassion and our heartfelt intentions.

We pray that the sharing of our vision of hope and healing makes its way through our community and blesses both those who have lost and those who have not, so that we are all reminded of how precious and fragile life is and how important each moment in each day can be.

And we pray for you... even if prayer is not what you are seeking. We respect your point of view and will meet you where you are and love you from there.

With peace and compassion for all who read this,

~ Your Blue Water Hope Team