Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas

Chloe Galvan

Chloe Galvan is the Marketing & Communications Manager for the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas, which serves children & young adults ages 3-24. The center was started in 1997 by Martha Adkins, who started by serving 19 families out of the trunk of her car. Her idea has grown to serve 3,000 unduplicated clients annually for children and caregivers. 

Chloe stated they have a satellite location in Uvalde, Texas, and are in five San Antonio school districts, serving children during the school day. Grief support services are provided by licensed clinicians and supported by several volunteers. At the Center, they provide peer support groups, individual counseling, and therapeutic camps for children. They have two days camps onsite and two overnight camps offsite. Clinicians in the school districts perform grief therapy throughout the day as part of the Center’s school-based program.

This allows for minimal disruption to the student’s school day. This program started with two school-based counselors and has grown to a team of nine. The hope is to continue to expand this program to reach more children. Chloe also shared their onsite camps take place during Spring Break or Thanksgiving to better align with school holidays. Their overnight camps are hosted at Morgan’s Wonderland, and the other camp – Camp Cardinal - is in partnership with Camp Mystic, which has allowed them to use their facility at no cost. Other than being referred by school personnel, families can directly call the center or use the “Start the Healing Process” form on their website. For more information, visit www.cbcst.org.