Pickles Jars

Free virtual program for kids and teens whose parent has ongoing, complex or advanced cancer, or who have lost a parent to cancer.

Pickles Jars are welcoming, consistent small groups where kids impacted by a parent’s cancer can connect with the same group of peers each month over the school year.

Just like a glass pickle jar holds and protects what’s inside, Pickles Jars are a place to hold everything that comes with cancer: the hard moments, the questions and the changes.

Program curriculum is designed by Kelsey Mora, our Chief Clinical Officer, an expert in supporting kids and families through illness and grief.

When it’s too much to hold alone, Pickles Jars give kids a place to hold the sweet and the sour moments together.

Register for Pickles Jars

We ask you make a year-long commitment to attend Pickles Jars to help create a sense of belonging and stability. We recommend families navigating a parent or guardian’s cancer start finding support with our 5-week virtual Connect Over Cancer program. If our monthly Pickles Jars program works best for your family, it is available and open to all kids and teens.

As part of a Pickles Jars group, your child will:

Meet with the same age group of kids every month, connect with Pickles Group Peer Leaders who get it and want to pay it forward, build deeper, stronger, ongoing peer relationships through discussion, play, art and activities and develop and practice coping skills.

For kids ages 6–18, with participants grouped by age

Groups meet on Sundays over 5 weeks

Offered 4 times a year in Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer.

“It was especially helpful for [my son] to feel and know that there were other kids going through the same kind of experiences, and to be able to ask questions anonymously about cancer, questions that him and other children didn't feel comfortable asking their cancer patient parents.”

-Christine Lagos, Pickles Parent
Diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in January 2021

Group Facilitation

All groups are led by skilled Youth Facilitators who have backgrounds in Child Life, Social Work, and Nursing. They use a curriculum designed by our Chief Clinical Program Officer, Kelsey Mora, an expert in supporting families through illness and grief.

Winter 2026 Meeting Dates & Themes

4-5:30pm ET | 3-4:30pm CT | 2-3:30pm MT | 1-2:30pm PT

January 24 Connecting & Belonging: Getting to know each other
January 31 Shared Experiences: What brings us together
February 7 Understanding Cancer & Treatment: Learning together
February 14 Emotions & Coping Skills: How it feels and what we can do about it
February 21 Reflection & Going Forward: Hope, gratitude, and see you soon

Registration Tips

New Pickles Families

Please complete the Youth Enrollment Form and select Connect Over Cancer to receive program information and supplies.

Returning Pickles Families

Please email contact@picklesgroup.org to receive a separate registration link.

“Attending the meetings took away that feeling of isolation, the feeling of ‘being the only kid in the world’ who has a parent experiencing cancer.”

-Aarohi, Pickles Kid
Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024

  • Connect Over Cancer meets every Sunday for 5 weeks from 4-5:30pm Eastern, 1-2:30pm Pacific, 2-3:30pm Mountain, 3-4:30pm Central.

  • The meetings are conducted virtually via Zoom.

  • We group kids by age to help them connect with peers at a similar developmental stage. Groups generally include younger elementary, older elementary/middle school, and high school students.

  • There are 5 meetings total, for each Connect Over Cancer cohort. Youth should plan to attend every week to experience the full benefit of the program.

  • All Pickles Group programs are open to children ages 6-18 or in 1st-12th grade.

  • Meetings are facilitated by our skilled volunteer Youth Facilitators who have backgrounds in child development, education, Child Life, social work, and other youth-focused areas. Facilitators are trained and supervised throughout the program. They use a curriculum developed by Pickles Group Chief Clinical Officer, Kelsey Mora, CCLS, LCPC.

  • Each group varies - but there usually around 10-15 youth in one group at a given time.

  • All Pickles Group programs are 100% free! 

  • Before the session, help your child get set up in a quiet, private, and comfortable space. For younger kids, we recommend an adult stay for the first 5–10 minutes to assist with tech and ensure they're settled. Kids often feel most at ease sharing when they have space away from their parent or guardian. Parents receive prompts to support continued connection and conversation at home.

  • The groups are closed - meaning that the same, small, consistent group of Youth Facilitators and participants are at every meeting.

If you have additional questions about our programs, we are happy to talk to your family. Please email Cam Dews, Pickles Group Program Director, at cameryn@picklesgroup.org.