By Brittney Gathen, Special to The New Tri-State Defender
In 2012, Daniah Fleming, now 10, and her younger sister, Takyah, lost their father, Dwayne Fleming, after he died of complications from a car accident on Mother’s Day.
About two years ago, the sisters, with the help of their mother, Tania Starks, decided to turn their personal tragedy into a positive opportunity. They established Snoop’s Little Angels – a support group for youth ages 17 and under – to help those affected by the death of a parent or guardian.
“Snoop” was their father’s nickname.
“I’ve been through it (losing a loved one), and I want to help others with the same issue,” Daniah Fleming said. “It (Snoop’s Little Angels) will help them feel like there’s somebody here (for them).”
Fleming coped with the loss of her father by writing in a diary, drawing and listening to her favorite song, “See You Again,” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. It reminded her that she’d see her father again.
Snoop’s Little Angels is a place to vent.
“We’ll ask questions about ‘How do you feel now?’ ‘How did you feel then?’ and ‘How did they pass?’” Fleming said.
Snoop’s Little Angels is set to meet at Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza located at 2035 Union Ave. on the third Saturday of August. To register, email SnoopsLittleAngels@gmail.com. Each person who registers to be part of the group is provided with journals and ink pens for noting feelings and thoughts for future discussions.
Starks would like to see Snoop’s Little Angels in every school. She said the group also is designed to provide support to the parents of grieving children.
“We have to learn how to deal with them when they’re going through this,” Starks said. “I feel like if we can cope with it, it’ll be easier for them to cope with it.”
Fleming said Snoop’s Little Angels “can go as big as it needs to go. …I’m behind them 100 percent in this.”
NOTE: On Sunday (August 7) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Magic Styles Studio, 3147 Frayser-Raleigh Rd., Snoop’s Little Angels will hold a prayer rally and give away backpacks. About 100 people attended last year’s event. Plans also are in the works for a Thanksgiving Day giveaway.
(For more information: www.facebook.com/SnoopsAngels.)
