Our Story
After the tragic loss of his 11-year-old son Carson, Jason Dyke realized that an organization did not exist to help families navigate the difficult journey from the loss of a loved one to the funeral and beyond with the guidance of an Advocate. His loss, and that of so many others, inspired him to start Carson's Village.
Every year, approximately 8 million people suffer a loss of a family member, facing overwhelming decisions such as finding a funeral home, covering funeral costs without going into debt, and managing their mental health. The lasting impact of this crisis and gap in services is leaving families with long-term, expensive mental health challenges and often unnecessary financial distress.
How Carson's Village Can Help
Carson's Village is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit organization designed to provide support during the difficult times following a loss. Through a Social Work trained Carson's Village Advocate, families receive assistance like:
- Compassionate guidance on funeral arrangements and end-of-life services.
- Financial coaching to prevent and reduce debt.
- Mental health service referrals at any sign of distress.
- Access to a library of resources, timelines, and guides in multiple languages on the Carson's Village website.
- Communications, fundraising, and organization of family members and community with an in-house Family Support Page.
- Check-ins and support for up to two years after loss with programs like Grief Support Group, Peer-to-Peer connections, and referrals for mental health and other services to help families heal in a healthy way.
Our Impact
Today, Carson's Village is growing rapidly. In addition to our individual support, we now have major partnerships with school districts such as Dallas ISD and Houston ISD as well as large hospital systems including Baylor Scott & White, CommonSpirit, and Houston Methodist.
To date, Carson's Village has helped almost 9,000 families, with nearly 64% from very low-income households and 61% are families of color. Carson's Village also places significant emphasis on expanding Spanish-language support resources to better support underserved communities in the bereavement space.
Our Needs
Carson's Village is growing and needs both volunteers and financial resources to deliver services to families across North Texas. Carson's Village volunteers can help the organization in a number of ways. For more information, visit https://carsonsvillage.org/get-involved/.
Those interested in donating can support the organization with a generous financial gift:
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$1,500 – Sustains Comprehensive Support for an Individual for Two Years
- Your generous gift sustains two full years of comprehensive support services for an individual following a loss, enabling us to help them find healing and hope along their journey.
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$1,000: Provides training to Community Personnel
- Supports our efforts to provide immediate bereavement and grief support for front-line staff as well as continuing education and resources.
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$750 – Connects a Family with Advocate Support System
- Pairs a family with a dedicated Advocate, offering personalized assistance through the logistics of funeral planning, access to vital Carson’s Village resources, and immediate grief and loss support.
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$500 – Funds One-on-One Peer-to-Peer Support
- Provides a year of tailored, one-on-one support through our Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Program, empowering a family member with guidance and compassionate mentorship from a trained Villager.
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$250 – Secures One Month of Group Grief Support
- Provides for our two monthly sessions of facilitated group grief support, allowing individuals to navigate their healing journey with the comfort of community and professional guidance.
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$100 – Expands Access to Grief Resources
- Helps develop and expand essential online grief resources, giving families reliable guidance and comfort as they face the difficulties of loss.
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$50 – Distributes Key Educational Resources to Community Partners
- E schools, hospitals, and professional organizations with Carson’s Village materials, empowering them to provide immediate support to families in crisis.
Thank you for your support and commitment to helping families through Carson's Village.