Initially I met Shirley Elrod in the 1990s graduate school. Eventually she became a co-founder of the Center for Loss and Bereavement. When my husband died suddenly in 2003 I almost immediately contacted the Center. I had to convince Christine Smith that I was ready for the work. I became a client and was accompanied on my grief journey for about 18 months. The experience was life changing and gave me a whole new perspective on the process of grief which lead me to take workshops and seminars about the grief process, trauma, and facilitating grief support groups. About five years after my husband’s death, I was asked to facilitate the Loss of Spouse support group which I did for a few years. For the last several years I have facilitated the monthly clinical supervision of the Center’s therapists. This presented the opportunity to see the Center in action and know the depth and breadth of the clients the therapists see and the great work that is being done to help those in the throes of grief. It is truly sacred work. When the board was being expanded in 2018, I volunteered to serve on the board and am on the subcommittee for Programs and Services. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of the tremendous work the Center does to help those who lives have been forever altered by the loss of loved one.

That they know that they are not alone and they are compassionately companioned through their grief journey.

My hope is that the Center will continue to be the place for all those experiencing loss to be helped along their journey and that the Center will flourish and expand to meet the ever growing needs of those experiencing loss, a community resource for education about loss and bereavement and professional training center for those who work with grieving individuals and families.

Professional excellence, compassionate, highly competent leader in the bereavement field.

The wonderful work of the Center could not be accomplished without you. It is through your generosity that the Center flourishes and is able to work with those who could otherwise not afford its services.

Working alongside the Center staff you can palpably feel their commitment and dedication to those whose lives have been touched by profound loss and grief. It is sacred work to help those grieving either directly as a volunteer in one of the programs or as a more supportive person on a committee or the board. Many different skills are needed to help the Center flourish.