MILAN'S STORY
Founder of Boxed Up Project
When I was six-years old, my best friend died. All I can remember is that one day I was playing on the beach and then I never saw him again. I couldn’t make sense of the sadness I felt. I didn’t know how to express what I was feeling and kept everything boxed up inside me. All I knew was that I was angry, sad, confused and I was empty.
My friend gave me a stuffed animal cow not long before he passed and told me to take care of it. I loved that stuffed animal more than anything and slept with it every night. It gave me great comfort especially on those days when I was really sad and missed my friend. A few years later, someone accidentally gave my cow away. Those were the hardest few days of my life because I felt as if I let my friend down. When two of my grandparents passed away a few years later, I went through the same cycle of emotions and loneliness.
I felt like no one understood my pain because I didn’t even understand it. Even though I was little when these events occurred, I still feel sad, and I still grieve. I don’t think I’ll ever completely recover from losing people I love. This stemmed a passion inside me to help kids who experience the same things I did. This is why I include a stuffed animal cow in every box because it gave me comfort and I want the same for other kids.
My goal for the Boxed Up Project is to help kids and teens struggling with grief and loss understand they are not alone and give them a space where they can express their feelings to help them heal.
OUR VISION
Boxed Up Project is donating these boxes to underserved kids and organizations who serve kids and teens struggling with grief and loss. These organizations can be a life-line for these kids. By donating these boxes filled with resources for children and teens, these organizations can in turn put their other resources into workshops, camps, and other support services they offer families.
Boxed Up Project just wants to be another tool in their toolkit to support kids in their grief journey. We are working with New Song Center for Grieving Children, Billy's Place, Stepping Stones of Hope, Open Hearts Family Wellness, Ryan House, Society of St Vincent De Paul, Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels, Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas, the Navajo Nation, Tu Nidito, and The Sharing Place. The boxes are also available in Spanish to support Spanish speaking families.
Grief and loss come in many forms. Our goal is to expand our reach to kids experiencing trauma, grief and loss of a different kind as well. We envision providing these tool boxes to all kids in need to help them heal as they navigate through these difficult life events. 100 percent of the monies donated to Boxed Up Project are used for the boxes and their contents.