The staff at Brighter Days Family Grief Center believes no parent should go through the heartbreak of losing a child on their own.
Brighter Days, an Eden Prairie-based nonprofit, launched a new program to support parents who have experienced the death of their child.
The program, called Soft Landings, provides newly bereaved parents within the first 12 months with the emotional, logistical and financial support they need to grieve without having to go through it alone.
“No words can truly express the depth of grief a parent experiences,” said Carolyn Kinzel, founder of Brighter Days. “What we can do, however, is stand beside them, hold space for their grief, and surround them with continual support through the midst of heartbreak.”
After helping more than 15,000 people navigate their grief journey, Kinzel and her team learned support for grieving parents needed to be intentional and went beyond traditional grief services.
Soft Landings provides compassionate care, both in-person and online, at no cost to families who have experienced the death of a child of any age. Special emphasis is placed on support for siblings and grandparents. Services include home visits, financial assistance and anticipatory services for parents navigating a child’s terminal diagnosis.
Kinzel said Brighter Days also added professionals focused on family support to the Soft Landings program to ensure personalized and compassionate care for parents.
One significant addition to the team is Chris Lillehei, a former chaplain at Children’s Hospital, who serves as Soft Landing’s director. Lillehei will visit families in their homes to provide guidance and compassionate support. Lillehei will also connect families with other nonprofit community partners if they need additional resources or support.
One significant addition to the team is Chris Lillehei, a former chaplain at Children’s Minnesota, who serves as Soft Landings’ director.
Lillehei will visit families in their homes to provide guidance and compassionate support. He will also connect families with other nonprofit community partners if they need additional resources or support.
“What the program is, at its essence, is once again creating a community of caring professionals who are willing to say their kids’ names, that’s willing to walk alongside them in the darkness, and is willing to be present with them as they grieve, without trying to suggest they can be fixed or healed,” Lillehei said.
Lillehei also acts as a direct liaison to local hospitals, where many Brighter Days referrals originate.
“His presence ensures that families leaving the hospital do not step into the unknown alone,” Kinzel said. “Instead, they will be met with warmth, care, and a reassuring hand to guide them forward, especially during a time when hope feels most out of reach.”
Soft Landings also provides unique support from other bereaved parents who have volunteered and want to help families heal.
These parents offer emotional support, and some provide tangible services such as shoveling snow or lawn care to help newly grieving families.
Lillehei said he aims to provide individualized care to people who are grieving to show them they are not alone in their journey.
“My goal is to live in that tension between realizing that grief is consistently an individual journey and that each one of us does it differently,” he said. “We will remain beside these families to help them find their footing in a world that no longer looks the same.”
Brighter Days, a nonprofit grief center with locations in Eden Prairie and St. Paul, has served people of all ages who are grieving across Minnesota since 2017. October is Child Loss Awareness Month, and Brighter Days is highlighting its Soft Landings program on its website.
