Children’s Bereavement Center RGV hosts Family Day Out

The Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley partnered with the Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club to host a special event Saturday from 9-2 p.m. for grieving families at Big Red’s Ranch in San Benito.

“Reset & Remember: A Family Day Out” featured activities for all ages, from canoeing to hayrides, to offer ways for families to remember lost loved ones during November, which is Children’s Grief Awareness month.

“Every time a holiday or major event happens, grief doesn’t end; it is forever—you just learn to manage it,” the Center’s Executive Director Ernest Espinoza said.

“This event helps the families that have lost loved ones to come here and start over in a way.”

The admission fee of $12 was free for the first 150 attendees, with lunch provided thanks to the financial support of the Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club, which partnered with the Center for the event.

“Alongside Rotary District 5930, we wrote a grant for $3,000 to support the Children’s Bereavement Center of the Rio Grande Valley, to give the children of this area a day of celebration, enjoyment and remembrance—because they have grief that we need to account for,” Israel Aguilar, President of the Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club, said.

Savannah Nunez and Martha Gomez paddle a canoe together Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 during the Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley “Reset & Remember: A Family Day Out” event at Big Red’s Ranch in San Benito. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)
A hayride circles the field Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, during the Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley “Reset & Remember: A Family Day Out” event at Big Red’s Ranch in San Benito. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)
Aziel Martinez and her son Nathan work to decorate a butterfly craft together Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, during the Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley “Reset & Remember: A Family Day Out” event at Big Red’s Ranch in San Benito. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)
Families gather around a fire pit to roast marshmallows for s’mores Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, during the Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley “Reset & Remember: A Family Day Out” event at Big Red’s Ranch in San Benito. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)
Zion Whitten laughs as a shot from Christian Sanchez foils his chance to grab the team’s flag in a game of bazooka ball Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, during the Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley “Reset & Remember: A Family Day Out” event at Big Red’s Ranch in San Benito. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)
Oskar Garcia takes a sledgehammer to a pumpkin Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, during the Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley “Reset & Remember: A Family Day Out” event at Big Red’s Ranch in San Benito. The center organized the event, with Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club, to provide a space for families to remember their lost loved one during November which is Children’s Grief Month. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)