Nashville Athletes Give Back to Help Kids Deal with Loss

“I lost my dad at 10, so that is why we picked the grief counseling, to give kids who have lost a loved one, a grandparent, a mom or dad, or brother, support. It sends them to camps to show them how to deal with that. I dealt with mine through sports…Not everybody has that, and it gives those kids a way to cope with it.”
– Ben Jones (source: Titans Online)

Titans Center Ben Jones Shares His Perspective

The Jones Mission generously donated $30,000 to Alive Hospice in August. The loss of his own father at an early age has motivated Jones to give to others. Jones and his wife Alex started their foundation to help kids.

What do you want kids to know about dealing with and healing from loss?

It is not just you. A lot of people go through it, and it is okay to ask for help and talk about what happened, in order to cope.

What especially spoke to you about the Alive grief camps?

It gave kids an opportunity to see that they aren’t the only ones going through hard times and other kids are going through the same struggles and feelings.

What was your greatest challenge in getting through your grief?

How to look or see any positives in the situation. On big days and events in your life you want that person there, and it’s hard not to feel negative toward the situation.

What was the greatest help?

Staying busy and having my family and church step in to fill that void and to keep my routine as normal as possible.

Nashville Predators Foundation and ESa Support Children’s Space

The Preds donated $5,000 to renovate the children’s space in Alive’s Nashville residence. Architectural  and interior design firm ESa provided services pro-bono to make it a fun, welcoming place for kids to play while families visit. The Predators donated memorabilia for décor and a life-size decal of Gnash for photo opps.

“We wanted to make the space inviting for all ages. The familiar theme will make them more at ease in an unfamiliar environment that could be somewhat scary to them,” said interior designer Leslie Ann Wilson, IIDA, NCIDQ.