Hailey from Minnesota created a beautiful glass piece for Pam who lost her husband to COVID-19 to memorialize their love of rocks.
Hailey was furloughed from her position due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the inaugural class of our Unemployment Transition Program, Hailey chose to complete her capstone project to help Pam, a widow we connected her with who lost her husband Bruce of 40 years due to COVID-19. Pam shared that her and Bruce had a love for geology and rocks, so Hailey used her glass making skills to create this beautiful piece in his memory.
Lessons Learned
Q. How do you feel this project affected the family or individual you helped?
Pam lost her husband Bruce 6 months ago and wasn’t able to have any kind of memorial or service to commemorate his passing. She has also felt a bit abandoned by their community due to the isolation that has occurred as people “shelter in place”. She was very happy to have someone to talk to about Bruce, to relive memories, to talk about what she loves about him, and most importantly to have someone recognize the magnitude of her loss.
Q. How did the project help you?
As a glass artist, I decided to create a memorial piece that depicted their love of rock collecting as this was one of their favorite activities. The design I created is intended to represent a geode with a flash of silver as his spirit as it ascends to the heavens. Pam has seen the piece and is thrilled, not only by the piece, but also that her husband is known by more people in the world. It was my honor to do this and it truly touched my heart. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute in this way.
Q. What advice would you give to other people who are comforting a bereaved family/individual?
My advice for talking to families that have lost someone, ask a lot of questions and then really listen for what is underneath what they are saying. Really listen
Hailey graduated from our October 2020 Cohort with distinction.
If you or someone you know is unemployed due to Covid-19, see if our Unemployment Transition Program is right for you. Additionally, if you have lost a loved one to COVID-19 and would like to be a recipient of one of our participant’s capstone project, please look at our Bereavement Support Page to sign up.