ETV to Air New Primetime Special Featuring Host Katie Couric

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ETV to Air New Primetime Special Featuring Host Katie Couric

For Immediate Release
April 1, 2010

Columbia, SC...On Wednesday, April 14 at 8 p.m., ETV will broadcast When Families Grieve. Hosted by award-winning journalist Katie Couric and the Sesame Street Muppets, this hour-long program features families’ personal stories about coping with the death of a parent. The program, airing in conjunction with Month of the Military Child and the Month of the Young Child, also presents strategies that have helped these families move forward.

Most recent data state that one in 20 American children under the age of 15 experiences the death of a parent — from illness, suicide, accident or war-related incidents. Certain populations, such as military families, are more at risk of experiencing a sudden death. In just one year, from 2006 to 2007, an estimated 1,345 children from military families lost a parent who was serving in the military. While the death of a parent is one of the most difficult ordeals a child can face, children are not the only ones who feel overwhelmed and undergo change in behavior. Grieving is a family event; thus, the entire family needs support during this difficult time.

“Death and loss are a part of life, but they are very difficult for adults to discuss, much less children,” said Katie Couric. “I’m honored that Sesame Street, with its long history of tackling difficult issues with sensitivity, caring and warmth, asked me to be a part of this important project. I hope that it will provide families with the tools to help them cope, begin the healing process and ultimately adjust to their ‘new normal’ in the healthiest way possible.”

ETV will have “When Families Grieve” kits available FREE of charge to individuals and organizations in the community. Created to help children and families cope with the loss of a parent, the kits are available in English and Spanish translations.

Each kit contains:

* The Sesame Street DVD “When Families Grieve”

* A Guide for Parents and Caregivers

* A Children's story book

A limited number of kits are available on a first come, first served basis. Contact Dana McCullough at (803) 737-3212 to reserve a kit.

When Families Grieve harnesses the unique approach that program producer Sesame Workshop takes in addressing children’s needs: using the Sesame Street Muppets to aid the communication between adults and children with language and strategies that are child-appropriate and useful for the whole family.

This family-friendly program is a continuation of Sesame Workshop’s award-winning Talk, Listen, Connect (TLC) initiative, first launched in July 2006, to provide resources and emotional support to military families with young children facing the challenging transitions in their lives, such as deployments and the change in a parent who returns home with a combat-related injury.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Dana McCullough at (803) 737-3212 or dmccullough@scetv.org.

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