Library, funeral home partner on children's grief materials

MEDINA — On Jan. 16, 2019, Noah Elliot Taylor died at the age of 2. The little boy, described as "full of energy who packed a plentiful lifetime of curious adventures into his two short years with his family on earth," was a beloved member of the Waite family. His death marked a turning point for the Waites, who for decades have helped so many Medina residents through the grieving process. "After Noah's passing, we found ourselves as the spouses and children of multigenerational funeral home owners, in new territory," said Ashley Waite, the Waite and Son Funeral Home's director of Community Engagement and wife of Christopher Waite, who is a fifth-generation owner along with his cousin Andrew Waite. "For the first time in our parenting journey, we had to walk alongside our children in their grief as they mourned the death of one of their own. As their parents, we were inadvertently tasked with searching the depths of the internet to find the most current resources on childhood grief. "Upon realizing the lack of local, immediate resources, I knew something had to be done." This is how the idea of Grief Kits, now available at the Medina County District Library, was born. Each kit contains tips for caregivers, therapeutic exercises, age-appropriate books and a list of resources. Borrowers also will find a community journal inside each kit. On the inside cover of the journal are writing prompts, allowing parents and children an opportunity to express their grief in a way that may help another family feel less alone in their grief. The journal is to be returned with the kit to pass to the next grieving family. Waite said the project was done for young and school-age children in partnership with Kristy Jones, a local counselor. "Each Grief Kit was built to utilize both the left and right hemispheres of the brain in an effort to engage learners of different strengths," Waite said. The kits debuted at branches across the library district in February. Tina Sabol, district library spokeswoman, said every kit has been checked out at least once since they debuted. There is one at each smaller branch and two kits at both the Medina and Brunswick branches. The kits available are for preschool age children. Kaitlin Booth is waiting for the final shipment of books to complete kits for school-age children. "This was a very personal project after the loss of Noah," said Booth, the children's acquisitions librarian. "We want families to not be afraid of dealing with the difficult topics of grief. We are pleased with this partnership and know families will be grateful for this support when they find themselves dealing with loss." Noah, who loved trains, puzzles, coloring, Spider-Man, camping and babies, especially his baby sister Cece, is survived by his parents Dan and Catie. "It is our honor to dedicate this kit in memory of Noah Taylor," Waite said. "Noah's mom, a librarian at Buckeye Library, had long dreamed of the memories she would make with Noah within this magical space of infinite possibility. While those beautiful memories lasted two short years, we wanted to ensure that Noah's presence would continue to be felt at the library through the creation of these kits."