For 15 years, Good Grief has provided free programming for grieving children and families, delivered education around childhood bereavement and the importance of building resilience in children, and empowered communities to grow from grief and adversity.
On October 16, 2019, at Good Grief’s annual gala, Magical Masquerade, the community will come together in support of Good Grief’s mission and to recognize the accomplishments of John Crowley, Chairman & CEO of Amicus Therapeutics.
John Crowley has a firsthand understanding of the importance of Good Grief’s work with grieving children and families. At just 7-years old, he experienced the death of his father, an Englewood, NJ police officer. As an adult, Mr. Crowley faced the very real possibility of becoming a grieving parent because he and his wife Aileen were raising two children living with Pompe disease. This reality caused John and Aileen to become remarkable advocates for their children.
Finding no one to help him with his children’s battle against the disease , Mr. Crowley took matters into his own hands. Moving beyond his own family’s needs, Mr. Crowley became a pioneer for children living with devastating rare and orphan diseases. Good Grief is especially grateful for Mr. Crowley’s work because his commitment to patient care supported the life of a very important member of the Good Grief community, Corinne Meirowitz, the daughter of Good Grief Princeton’s founding member, Dr. Rob Meirowitz.
Thanks to the patient care that John and Team Amicus provided to Corinne, she lived long enough to make an immeasurable and generational impact on New Jersey’s grieving children. And today, Good Grief provides free programs to more than 750 children each month at its Morristown, Princeton, Newark, and Jersey City locations, while advocating for bereaved families across the U.S. and educating classrooms on how to build emotional and physical resilience. With a 14% growth in family enrollment last year, Good Grief is helping more families than ever.
“The great thing about Good Grief is that you are not alone. There are multiple kids around you who understand your pain and know what you are going through. These kids become your friends – your family,” says Imani, an 11-year-old participant. Good Grief’s programs reduce isolation, teach resilience, and create a safe environment for remembering and sharing one’s grief story and developing a sense of possibility and hopefulness for the future.
To learn more about Good Grief’s 2019 Gala – Magical Masquerade, to purchase tickets to the event, or to become a Gala supporter, visit www.tinyurl.com/GgGala2019 or contact [email protected].
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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. Serving 165 communities, we operate programs in Morristown, Princeton, Jersey City, and Newark. For more information about Good Grief, please visit our web site www.good-grief.org.