Geneva-based Light Finders help people touched by suicide

Light Finders, a support group for survivors of suicide loss, is being offered by Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice. The group meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 20 to Sept. 24, at the hospice, 200 Whitfield Drive in Geneva. The program is free. Registration with a refundable deposit is required.

Suicide is a traumatic loss - sudden, often unexpected, sometimes violent - and those who are grieving need help to understand what has happened, why it happened, and what it has done to their lives. Light Finders provides a safe environment for grievers to talk openly - a place where others will listen without judging - and a place to gain insight and perspective from others who understand this loss. Light Finders helps grievers cope with the shame, break through the stigma, address the isolation, and find solace and renewed perspectives through group sharing.

Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice is a community-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to serving those with life-threatening illnesses and those who have lost loved ones, serving all of Kane and Kendall counties, and parts of DuPage, Cook and McHenry counties. In addition to one-on-one support, the agency also offers medical equipment loans, adult and children's grief support groups, community education on end-of-life care and grief, and a community lending library. All services are provided free. For more information, visit fvvh.org.