Taking Action With Eluna

Grief has an enduring impact, but support is often short-lived. Americans who lost a parent growing up say it takes six years or more to move forward – but support from family and friends wanes within three months, according to a New York Life survey. Grieving children can feel alone and isolated. Eluna, through Camp Erin, the largest national bereavement program for youth grieving a significant death, and, help combat that feeling by bringing kids together as a community to facilitate powerful experiences and collective healing.

In Oklahoma, the Childhood Bereavement Estimation rate is 1 in 11, higher than the national average. Camp Erin Tulsa, run by Tristesse Bereavement Center, provides local support to grieving children and their families. Since 2008, New York Life has maintained a dedicated philanthropic funding area to support the under-resourced yet very common issue of childhood bereavement, offering its first of many grants to Camp Erin in 2009. An expert in the bereavement space, New York Life has invested over $7 million in supporting the Camp Erin network over the past 15 years. This year, its local Tulsa office saw a need to connect Camp Erin to Tristesse, bringing hope and healing to local grieving children and teens.

The film chronicles an event hosted by New York Life with support from Anomaly called Constellation of Love. Held at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum planetarium on February 4th, the event helped minimize feelings of isolation for grieving children. It celebrated the memory of each person who has died through the beauty of the night sky with special tributes for the 40+ children in attendance.

Throughout the evening, each child received a star in honor of their loved one. Each dedicated star comprises part of a constellation representing all the people the children have lost, forming the Constellation of Love. Each child also received a nightlight and a necklace, charm, or bracelet that includes an engraving of their star’s coordinates so they can always keep their lost loved one close. As a digital extension, New York Life partnered with an app that makes it easier for children to find their star at any time of the day, from anywhere in the world, and keep track of it. The event included a special message John Herrington, retired United States Naval Aviator and the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly in space.