Our Story
Olivia was joy in human form. She loved life and all her people. She worried about friends with hurt feelings and she wrote notes to brighten everyone’s day. She was fun-loving, spunky and laughed easily. She loved rainbows, unicorns, mermaids and dresses as much as wrestling with her brother and playing tackle football with her dad.
On January 17, 2022, we heard the phrase every parent fears, “your daughter has Leukemia”. Her case was extremely rare – “Your daughter is the 1%”, the doctors said. Three days after Olivia’s diagnosis, cancer took her away. It was swift and brutal…
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Our Mission / Purpose
HELP. HONOR. HEAL.
The Olivia Chan Foundation aims to provide support in a safe place for children, teens, young adults and their families during their grief journey in hopes that one day they can rediscover moments of happiness.
Our Goals
With your help and generous donation, you are helping us achieve the following:
Safe and inclusive
Create a safe and inclusive space for children, teens, young adults and their families to express their emotions.
Peer facilitated
Provide peer facilitated support groups where people can connect with others who have experienced similar losses.
Raise awareness
Raise awareness about grief and its impact on mental health through community outreach and events.
The Dougy Model
Train all team members and volunteers with the Dougy Model.
Art and play
Using art and play to promote emotional well-being.
Grief Center
To establish a grief center – a physical place that children and families can visit where we can implement all these programs free of charge for the community.
Our Program
HEALING TOGETHER
In the wake of loss, finding solace can feel like an insurmountable challenge. That’s why the Olivia Chan Foundation’s peer support program stands as a beacon of hope for children and families navigating grief.
Our support group, meeting every other week on Monday evenings, provides a safe space where individuals can share their stories, lean on one another, and cultivate resilience in the face of loss. By joining our program, you’re not just accessing support—you’re becoming part of a compassionate network dedicated to fostering healing and strength.
Click the “contact us” button below to learn more about how your family can embark on this journey toward healing, together.
Watch our feature on Good Day Sacramento
Childhood grief: a pervasive problem
Childhood grief in America is too frequently overlooked. An estimated 1 in 14 children in the U.S. will lose a parent or sibling before age 18, constituting over 4 million children nationally.
l in 12 (or more than 8 percent) of children in the US will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18 – equating to 6 million bereaved US children and teens.
Nearly 80 percent of those who lost a parent said it was the hardest thing they have ever had to face. Looking at bereavement figures for a single year shows that nearly 1,200 children under the age of 18 were newly bereaved every day in 2021.
59 percent of adults who lost a parent growing up say they have experienced more feelings of sadness or depression In their life compared to most adults.
Latest News
Keep up with the latest news and events from the foundation
How you can help
Donate
100% of your donation will benefit activities to support grieving families as well as helping us reach our ultimate goal of building a grief center in our community.
Get involved
If you have a resource or would like to find out more about different ways you can help (volunteering, etc) – we would love to hear from you.