Built from loss.
Grown through connection.
Kids Joining Eternity is an Oklahoma-based nonprofit supporting families after miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss and the death of a child. We bring together parents, siblings, family members, friends and caregivers with people who understand, opportunities to remember the children they love, and experiences that help families continue moving forward together.
Because no family should have to grieve alone.
Kids Joining Eternity was founded in Central Oklahoma in 2015 by Melanie and JB Edwards after experiencing the loss of a baby themselves. What began from their own experience has grown into a community of families, volunteers, professionals and supporters helping others who have experienced the death of a child.
The key is joining experiences.
There is no single right way to grieve. Sometimes support means talking with another parent who understands. Sometimes it means getting out of the house for dinner, a walk or a basketball game. Sometimes it means saying a child’s name, donating a book in their memory, attending a remembrance ceremony or finding a way for siblings to feel included.
KJE creates those opportunities through peer support, family events, remembrance programs and practical resources.
We are not here to tell families how to grieve. We are here to make sure they do not have to do it by themselves.
Support, remembrance and meaningful experiences
KJE creates different ways for families to connect, remember and move through life with people who understand.
Connection
Moms’ nights, dads’ nights, couples’ nights, walking groups, Coffee & Conversations and peer-to-peer support create space for families to spend time with people who understand.
Remembrance
Remembrance ceremonies, Mother’s Day cards, memorial book donations and other programs create meaningful ways for families to continue honoring and remembering their children.
Family experiences
Family retreats, sibling celebrations, OKC Thunder Family Night and other events give families opportunities to reconnect, make new memories and experience meaningful time together.
Care & resources
KJE provides care packages, connects families with Key Contacts and community resources, and works alongside hospitals and other organizations that encounter families during and after loss.
Families supporting families.
Many of the people showing up for KJE families have experienced loss themselves. Families who once came to KJE looking for connection have gone on to volunteer, lead programs and support others walking through their own loss.
That cycle matters. Someone who once needed to hear, “You are not alone,” can eventually become the person saying it to someone else.
Find support and connection →Supporting families takes more than one organization.
KJE works with hospitals, healthcare organizations, schools and community partners to help families find support and create meaningful ways for children to be remembered.
- Oklahoma Family Network
- Mercy’s Love Family Women’s Center
- INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center
- Lakeside Women’s Hospital / INTEGRIS Health
- Norman Regional Hospital
- SSM Health Hospital
- Perinatal Center of Oklahoma
- Ascension St. John Medical Center – Tulsa
- Stillwater Medical Center
- Oklahoma City-County Health Department
Hope doesn’t mean forgetting.
Moving forward after the death of a child does not mean leaving that child behind.
KJE believes remembrance and life can exist together. Families can grieve and laugh. They can miss their child and make new memories. They can need help one day and offer it to someone else later.
Our role is to create more places where all of those things are allowed to be true.
Kids Joining Eternity
The name Kids Joining Eternity reflects the children at the heart of this community. The Celtic spiral in the KJE logo represents eternal life, growth and movement, while its continuous form reflects the lasting connection families carry with the children they love.
However you found us, you are welcome here.
You may be grieving a child yourself. You may be trying to support someone you love. You may work with families experiencing loss. Or you may simply want to help KJE continue this work. There is a place to start.