TAPS to Welcome Families of America’s Fallen Heroes to Texas Regional Survivor Seminar & Good Grief Camp

Austin Event Will Connect Survivors, Honor their Loved Ones, Provide Hope and Healing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 12, 2017

ARLINGTON, Va. – Surviving family members of America's fallen heroes will gather at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Regional Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp, July 14-17 at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol. More than 300 surviving military family members will come together to share their stories of love and loss, learn ways to cope with grief and find healing in sharing similar experiences as they honor their heroes.

For adults, support and comfort will come from carefully crafted sessions teaching coping skills, encouraging reflection and providing opportunities for peer connection. For children, the TAPS Good Grief Camp provides an understanding environment, safe opportunities to express complex emotions and the normalizing experience of being around others who have experienced similar losses. Children learn that they are part of an American legacy of service and sacrifice, and come to understand they are not alone in their grief.

Volunteers and representatives from the Texas military community will attend the seminar, participating in the Good Grief Camp Zone on Friday night, and helping out during the Saturday workshops and Sunday activities. All participants will enjoy a TAPS Family Dinner on Sunday evening. On Saturday morning, Houston Texans players Christian Covington and Andre Hal, Cheerleaders, and mascot TORO will visit the Good Grief Camp and provide a mini football clinic for the kids.

“Survivor seminars are one venue where the TAPS family provides our core support services to help those who have experienced the death of a loved one in the military remember. Together, we honor our heroes, cope with our grief and have hope for the future,” said Bonnie Carroll, TAPS president and founder and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. “These wonderful weekend events are healing havens where surviving families find connection and care.

In addition to this survivor seminar, similar events are planned for Sept. 8-11 in Tampa, Fla.; and Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in San Diego, Calif. TAPS will also host its National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar Oct. 6-9 in Phoenix. TAPS also hosts local area care groups, community gatherings, regular online group meetings, and offers robust casework assistance and 24/7 support through its helpline. For more information about TAPS survivor seminars and retreats, or to register, click here.

ABOUT TAPS
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America’s fallen military heroes and has offered support to more than 70,000 surviving family members of our fallen military and their caregivers since 1994. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, grief seminars and retreats for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org or call the toll-free TAPS resource and information helpline at 1.800.959.TAPS (8277).