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"I think that a
club house is in heaven
for the people who
miss their nephews,
nieces, daughters, sons,
and whoever else
they miss. They go
every day
if they can."
~ Cindy. Age
9
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| Our
HISTORY |
The
Kids' Clubhouse, originally Endings and Beginnings, began in 1993 with an
initial support group held at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center
who had suffered the loss of a sibling. The program has since been offered in a
variety of settings and has served families with children who have lost
siblings, parents, and other loved ones. Educational presentations and
in-services continue to be provided to numerous groups of professionals and
families.
The support groups are based on the model created by the
Dougy Center for Grieving Children in Portland, Oregon. This center is one of
the first in the United States to offer comprehensive bereavement services to
families. Joan Bacon, a social worker and founder of the Endings and Beginnings
program, completed the intensive training at the Dougy Center before creating
the Endings and Beginnings program in St. Louis. The program grew with the
addition of Paivi Tetri to the staff in 1994, and Bacon and Tetri together
created the components of the program. Not-for-profit status was granted in
1997.
As programming grew, the organization name was changed to The
Kids' Clubhouse to reflect the comprehensive nature of the services offered to
bereaved children. Kari McCann became the Executive Director in 2006 and was
joined in 2009 by Lisa Mottola, the Program Director. They have continued to
work to provide top quality bereavement services to children and youth in the
St. Louis area. |
| Board of
Directors |
Patricia Codden, BSN
Clinical Nurse Specialist
SSM
Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center |
Mary Ann Collins MHA, MT(ASCP)SH
Director, The
FOOTPRINTSsm Program
SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center
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Mary Markowski
Parent Participant
Project Manager ,
State Farm Insurance |
Kari McCann, MSW, LCSW
Executive Director
The Kids'
Clubhouse |
Lisa Mottola, MSW
Program Director
Pediatric Medical
Social Worker
St. Louis Children's Hospital |
Kevyn Schroeder, BSN, PNP, MPH
First Vice President-
Merrill Lynch |
Leslie Weinstein, MA, MSW, LCSW
Psychotherapist, Private
Practice
Clinical Chaplain, Barnes-Jewish Hospital |
Trudy Valentine, BSN
Master of Arts, Pastoral Studies
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Shelley Heeley Smith
Owner, Heeley Creative,
Inc |
Amy Latta
Marketing and PR Specialty
Civic Volunteer
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| Our STAFF
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Kari McCann, MSW, LCSW Executive Director
Kari McCann,
MSW, is a licensed clinical social work specializing in grief and loss issues.
She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and
received her BA in Children and Family Studies. She has also received her
Master of Social Work degree at Washington University with an emphasis on
mental health services for children, youth and families. She has experiences in
individual and group counseling, crisis management, treatment evaluation, and
care management. Mrs. McCann has an extensive background in working with
children with severe emotional and behavioral concerns in the Child Welfare
System. She has also gained a more global perspective from her social work
experiences in London, England.
Lisa Mottola, MSW Program
Director
Lisa M. Mottola, MSW is a graduate of Saint Louis
University where she received a Master's in Social Work. Ms. Mottola has served
as Pediatric Medical Social Worker at St. Louis Children's Hospital for ten
years. Throughout her career, she has spent the majority of time working to
assist patients and families in coping with a cancer diagnosis. Ms. Mottola has
facilitated various support groups for children and parents with the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society, the HUGS (Helping Us Give Support) program at Siteman
Cancer Center and the Sunsets and Stages Bereavement Program at Missouri
Baptist Medical Center. Ms. Mottola also serves on the planning board and
attends the American Cancer Society's family weekend, Camp Sunrise. In addition
to these previous listed tasks, Ms. Mottola is continually involved in the
education of social work, nursing and medical students. She is also an
associate member of Children's Oncology Group and serves on the board as
Treasurer for the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers.
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