Our Daily Show Interview! Mother's Unique: Bench Dedication & Dove Release at Killion
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ALTON - Mothers Unique Grief Support Group will host a bench dedication and dove release to commemorate children who have been lost in the community.
At 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, 2025, community members are invited to take part in the ceremony at Killion Park. Mary and Joyce, two members of Mothers Unique, noted that their group works hard to support grieving mothers.
“The person that loses a partner is called a widow. A child that loses a parent is called an orphan. But there’s no word to describe a parent that loses a child because that loss is like no other. And that’s true,” Joyce said. “My daughter’s been gone seven years, and it’s like — it just comes on. Some days, you’re fine. Some days, everything, birthdays, holidays, just brings something to you.”
Mary shared that she lost her son in 1997. She tried to start a grief support group in 2001, but realized she wasn’t ready. In 2017, she founded Mothers Unique. Joyce joined her in 2018.
As a group, Mothers Unique meets from 4–6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at the YWCA in Alton. They provide a space for the mothers to talk about their loss and support one another.
The group also goes out of their way to reach out to grieving mothers in the Riverbend community. When a mother loses a child, Mothers Unique will put together a card, a condolence letter and a financial contribution to help with expenses. They also partner with Kinzels Flower Shop to send a flower to the mother.
Mary makes a point to invite these mothers to their meetings, but she emphasized that there’s no pressure. The group will be there for the moms if and when they decide to reach out. “Mothers” is an acronym that stands for “Moms Obligated To Healing Encouraging Recovery Support.” This is the group’s mission.
“We meet and discuss the different things, the pain that we were going through, the hurt that we were going through,” Mary explained. “If you haven’t ever lost a child, you wouldn’t know how to relate to other mothers. Other people will say, ‘Oh, you’re not over that yet?’ They would be that cruel. ‘You’re not over that yet?’ It was my child. We’re not over it now. We just learn to deal with it. You never get over losing a child.”
On May 4, Mary and Joyce hope to bring some peace to other mothers in the community. Williams Family White Dove Release will provide the dove release, and First Lady Sheila Goins will sing. There will be spiritual music played throughout the ceremony.
Mothers Unique members had their children’s names inscribed on the bench. Mary and Joyce believe the bench will provide a spot at Killion Park to remember and honor their kids.
They hope to see many community members come out for the bench dedication and dove release on May 4. Mary and Joyce emphasized that Mothers Unique is here to help support moms through the unbearable.
“To me, grief is love that has nowhere to go,” Joyce added. “You were in love with that person that passed, and you have all this love left over and nowhere to put it. That's grief, in my opinion.”
Mothers Unique reaches out to two or three new grieving mothers a week. They are seeking donations to continue providing financial support to these moms. You can donate directly at Altonized Community Federal Credit Union on Alby Street in Alton. You can also contact the YWCA at (618) 465-7774 to find out more about the group and their meeting times.
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