Join VITAS® Healthcare June 19 For "Honoring Our Fathers," A Zoom Event For Anyone Mourning A Father Or Father Figure

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Jun 10, 2020, 11:24 ET

MIAMI, June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sons and daughters who miss their father or father figure can join others as they fill their hearts with memories, music and inspiration at a VITAS Healthcare-sponsored "Honoring Our Fathers" event via Zoom on Friday, June 19, two days before Father's Day.

Facilitated by bereavement specialists from VITAS, the virtual event will feature special tributes to fathers, a musical guest artist, an Emmy Award-winning speaker, and a chance for participants to celebrate the memories and influence of their fathers and father figures.

VITAS offers online resources including tips for coping with loss on Father's Day and regular virtual support groups for several audiences. Learn more at VITAS.com/grief.

VITAS Healthcare is hosting a Zoom event on Friday, June 19 for anyone mourning a father or father figure in advance of Father's Day 2020. Register at VITAS.com/Fathers.

Participants can register at VITAS.com/Fathers for "Honoring Our Fathers," which will be held 5-6:15 p.m. Eastern time (4-5:15 Central, 3-4:15 Mountain, 2-3:15 p.m. Pacific).

"As Father's Day approaches on June 21, many people are silently mourning the absence of a father, grandfather, uncle, stepfather or special father figure this year because of social distancing or concerns about large gatherings," says Robin Fiorelli, senior director of bereavement and volunteer services for VITAS. "This virtual experience provides a community gathering where those in mourning can celebrate and remember their fathers with others who understand."

"Honoring Our Fathers" is one of several commemorative events that VITAS now provides remotely. A Memorial Day celebration was held via Zoom, and VITAS grief and bereavement support groups are now phone-in and Zoom events. "Honoring Our Fathers" matches the popular "Missing Our Mothers" events that drew hundreds of participants in recent years to live gatherings in major cities across the US.

"Regardless of how far apart our attendees live, or how many years it's been since their beloved father died, 'Honoring Our Fathers' is a heartfelt experience that can help anyone explore their memories and cope with their feelings on an otherwise celebratory day," says Diane Deese, vice president of community affairs at VITAS. "Attendees from past programs have told us how important it is for them, as fatherless sons and daughters, to remember and celebrate on Father's Day, too."

As the nation's leading provider of end-of-life care, VITAS offers online resources, including tips for coping with loss on Father's Day, and weekly/monthly phone-in and Zoom virtual support groups for several audiences, including those experiencing the loss of a parent. Support groups are offered in English and Spanish.

About VITAS^® Healthcare
Established in 1978, VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American hospice movement. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 48 hospice programs in 14 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 12,262 professionals who care for patients with advanced illness daily, primarily in the patients' homes, and also in the company's 27 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At the conclusion of the first quarter of 2020, VITAS reported an average daily census of 19,215. Visit www.vitas.com.