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2 <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />PROCLAMATION <br />GRIEF AWARENESS WEEK -November 2-8, 2003 <br />WHEREAS, there are approximately 2 million deaths in the United States each year, with <br />each directly affecting 10-12 family members (excluding good friends and close <br />colleagues), thus having an impact on approximately 20 million people; and <br />WHEREAS, in North Carolina, there are approximately 72,000 deaths each year; and <br />WHEREAS, natural disasters like Hurricane Floyd, tragic deaths like those of September <br />11, 2001, suicides and school shootings touch countless lives and continue to have an <br />impact long after the initial event; and <br />WHEREAS, grieving is a natural and normal response to death and other losses and is a <br />healthy way for people to take care of themselves; and <br />WHEREAS, cultural traditions and religious institutions have historically recognized the <br />need for community mourning rituals and individual grief expressions; and <br />WHEREAS, all Orange County residents are urged to be sensitive and supportive of their <br />families, neighbors, friends, and colleagues who are adjusting to a significant loss in their <br />lives; and <br />WHEREAS, a week set aside for grief awareness will enhance solidarity with our human <br />mortality and our common need for mourning and healing and will promote spiritual, <br />mental, physical, and emotional health; and <br />WHEREAS, we urge all Orange County citizens during this week to remember and <br />support those who have experienced a significant loss in their lives; and <br />WHEREAS, we urge all Orange County citizens during this week to participate in <br />community activities and educational events to increase their own knowledge of the grief <br />process so that neighborhoods, faith communities, and workplaces can create a more <br />healing environment for those in grief; <br />NOW, THEREFORE, do we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, hereby <br />proclaim November 2na through the 8th as GRIEF AWARENESS WEEK in Orange <br />County, in recognition of every person's right to grieve in the face of death and loss. <br />This the 5th day of November, 2003 <br />Margaret Brown, Chair <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />