Brothers and Sisters in Support (BASIS) is a grief support ministry for parents who have lost children. The program is a branch of Handi-Vangelism Ministries International (HVMI), an organization that provides assistance and training services to churches and schools for those with special needs. BASIS operates seven different support groups, one of which is located in Quarryville and also serves families from Pequea, Lampeter-Strasburg and other parts of the Southern End.

The Southern End group meets on the second Tuesday of every month and begins each session with a small devotion. Then, group leaders offer booklets and information on a topic that relates to mourning the loss of a child, with the materials often based in Scripture. For the rest of the meeting, which is generally one to two hours long, participants may ask questions and have an open discussion to share about their personal journey and struggles with loss.

BASIS also seeks to provide support for grieving parents beyond its monthly meetings. The group accepts contact information for those who wish to speak or pray on the phone and mails out informational literature from its library. The group supports parents for up to five years by sending notes of encouragement on significant dates such as the birthday of a loved one and the anniversary of a loss. Once a year, BASIS hosts a free breakfast for parents, which includes a guest speaker.

"People can come just to listen. It's a confidential and safe place," said Dan Steinman, director of BASIS. "It doesn't matter if you go to church or not. People come to share where they're at, open up and say exactly how they feel."

Dan and his wife, Phyllis, became participants of BASIS six years ago after the loss of their son. Although Dan refrained from attending the meetings at first, he eventually joined his wife in participating in the meetings, and says that it changed his life. "As a parent who has lost a child, a lot of things go through your mind," Dan added. "I heard stories when I first went and understood what others were going through."

Shortly after becoming involved with BASIS, Dan left his job to work for the ministry. He noticed that BASIS did not have a support group based in the Southern End, and he decided to start one. Dan became director of BASIS last year. "Parents never forget, but you can't dwell on it. You have to have hope," Dan said. "We can be a light for other people."

HVMI is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Its founders, Tim and Cathy Sheetz, remain involved in the organization today and run the BASIS group in Akron. In addition to BASIS, HVMI also offers Bible clubs, summer day camps and activities for those with special needs.

For more information about BASIS, call the office at 717-859-4777 or visit http://www.hvmi.org/grief-basis.