A virtual event on Monday for those who are grieving a father or father figure

If you’re grieving the loss of a father or father figure this year, here are two free, virtual opportunities to help you pay tribute to him.

Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care, formerly Joliet Area Community Hospice, will host “A Tribute to Our Fathers” from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday on Zoom.

Participants will be able to share stories and explore ways to honor their father’s memory on Father’s Day (and after the holiday).

The event will also include reflections on the unique aspects of losing a father. Lightways’ grief support counselors will lead the group discussions.

“Paying tribute to our loved ones after they die is an important part of the grief process,” Patrice Martin, director of grief support at Lightways said in a news release from the organization. “The pandemic made the grieving process even more complicated, as many were not able to do this as they would have wanted to, in traditional ways.”

The event is open to anyone in the community who has lost a father or father figure, whether or not the father or father figure received care from hospice.

After participants register for the Zoom event, they may opt to be added to a private Facebook group. Within this group, they can share their favorite stories, life advice or “anything that makes them think of their fathers,” the release said.

Lightways’ music therapist will then compile these memories from Facebook, along with the discussion on Monday, into a song. That song will be posted to the group’s page on Father’s Day, the release said.

Registration to “A Tribute to Our Fathers” will remain open until the start of the event on June 14. Register at bit.ly/3pRdsrn.

For more information, contact Patrice Martin at 815-460-3282 or pmartin@lightways.org.