top of page
​​
​History

​
Founded in England in 1969 after a young chaplain brought two sets of grieving parents together at a hospital in England, The Compassionate Friends is today located in more than 30 countries around the world. This chapter is one of more than 650 U.S. chapters serving every state, operating under the umbrella of The Compassionate Friends national organization. We welcome you to our meetings with open hearts.You will find hugs of friendship and understanding. You will hear stories of pain, but you will also hear stories of hope. You will find caring leaders, who are not professionals, but who understand much of your pain, for they have been there, too. Whether the child you mourn died before birth, as an infant, child, teen, or adult, we will walk with you for as long as the journey takes.. The local  Fayetteville Area  Chapter of The Compassionate Friends was rechartered in 1996 and now serves the southeastern region of North Carolina.

​

​​Mission​​
The mission of The Compassionate Friends: When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated. The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.

TCF History and Mission

Charter Members of TCF Fayetteville Area Chapter were as follows:

​

  • Jennifer German

  • John German

  • Elaine Grindle

  • Brenda Hicks

  • Rev. Richard Hicks

  • Joan Konen

  • Dianne Lanier

  • Elaine Levesque

  • Brenda Melvin

  • Hazel Smith

  • Mickey Smith

  • Jerry Strand

The TCF Fayetteville Chapter was reformed in 1996 and held it's first meeting on a Thursday at 7:30 PM at the Fayetteville Area Health and Education Center on Owen, Drive across from Cape Fear Valley Hospital.

The Compassionate Friends
Fayetteville Area Chapter
The Butterfly

The butterfly has long symbolized a renewal of life. The caterpillar signifies life here on earth; the cocoon signifies death' and the butterfly signifies the emergence of the dead into a new, beautiful and more free existence. Frequently, the butterfly is seen with the word "Nika", which means victory. Elizabert Kubler-Ross movingly tells of seeing butterflies drawn all over the walls of the children's dormitories in world war II concentration camps. Since children are intuitive, she concludes that these children knew their fate and were leaving a message. The Compassionate Friends adopted the butterfly as a symbol of hope that our children are living in another dimension with greater beauty and freedom, which is a comforting thought to many of us.

The Compassionate Friends
Logo

  • Hands represent different things to us at different periods in our grief journeys.

  • To newly bereaved, the hands reach out, offering comfort and support.

  • Later in our grief journey, they may symbolize the process of letting go, of coming to terms with the child's death, of acknowledging that the child is no longer a part of our earthly existence.

  • Still Later, we begin to reinvest in life and reach out to others.

  • The circle is complete: a circle of friends, of love and understanding, with the child at the center.

bottom of page