Below are the various programs and initiatives that Band of the Strong is currently doing as a way to serve the our community here in Nebraska.
BOTS x Angels Among Us
“Since my daughter got diagnosed, I have listened to every episode. They helped ease my fears and made me feel less alone.”
THe Parent to Parent Podcast
Within the two years, we have partnered with Angels Among Us here in Omaha. In that time we have, and continue to work on two major projects, which we are hoping to expand. First, when working with Angles, we discovered that they needed extra support meeting the needs of the parents working to raise children who have cancer. Many parents struggle both during and beyond the journey. To this effect, we created the Parent to Parent Podcast. The podcast was created in recognition of a great challenge noted by many parents who said, "It was hard, I didn't really know how to parent a sick child." From this recognition, the podcast seeks to empower parents and experts who have walked the journey with a child who has cancer to provide 1) a platform where stories and lives can be heard and witnessed and 2) act as a place where parents who are currently walking the journey with their child can get advice. The response from parents has been immense appreciation, with one father noting to us, “Since my daughter got diagnosed, I have listened to every episode. They helped ease my fears and made me feel less alone.” This podcast can be found on Spotify and on our website.
As we expand these efforts, we hope that parents who have walked the journey may find peace in telling their stories, that families who are currently walking the journey may find practical advice to help their child, and that in general we may continue to learn about the experience of these people to be able to provide innovative services moving forward.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for Children and Families
Our second initiative has been working to provide Brazilian Jui Jitsu classes to children and families who are walking the journey with their children or families who have walked the journey. The program was borne from the recognition that many opportunities to heal are often surrounded by sessions where people share their feelings and emotions. Recognizing that one of the most underserved populations in these family units (Dads) don’t always grieve in a way that is emotional, we wanted to provide an alterative opportunity, where dads (and the rest of the family) could still find community and healing, while not having emotions be the main focus of the program. You can see the impacts of that here