Alumni Family Gives Back to Share Hope and Love with Others

A Good Grief alumni family facilitated a partnership with Hearts of Hope in order to share hope and love with families who have lost a loved one. After attending peer support groups following the death of their son, the Abut family wanted to find a way to help other grieving families. Through the Hearts of Hope “Pay it Forward” program, all families attending Good Grief receive a keepsake heart made with love. Good Grief’s free programs provide support to children, teens, young adults, and families after the death of a mom, dad, sister, or brother. With families enrolling at Good Grief weekly, Hearts of Hope intends to provide every new family with a hand painted heart.

The hearts, hand painted by volunteers, show the care and compassion created through support. As Judy Pedersen, the Founder and Director of Hearts of Hope states, “One of the most remarkable things I have witnessed through our volunteers is their strength. Often, volunteers will create a healing gift for another with tears in their eyes, but always with a strong desire to offer caring and compassion.”

Good Grief’s CEO, Joe Primo, says, “Grief is a lonely experience in which we need to know we matter and people care. The beauty of Good Grief’s partnership with Hearts of Hope is that it reinforces the idea that it takes a village to help us move forward and we should all care when a family loses a loved one. We are grateful to the Abuts for giving back in this way.”

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Good Grief is respected as a national leader in delivering grief services to children and their families. It is the leading provider of these services in New Jersey, serving over 1,000 children since its founding in 2004. Good Grief is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide unlimited free support to children, teens and families after the death of a parent or sibling. Servicing more than 200 Communities, Good Grief operates programs in Morristown and Princeton. For more information www.good-grief.org.

For more information, contact:

Joseph Primo, CEO

908-522-1999 x 8011

Courtney Hodock, Director of Development

609-498-6674 x 8010