86 golfers participated in Good Grief’s Golf Fore the Kids outing at TPC Jasna Polana on Monday, May 7th raising over $112,000 to support its mission to provide unlimited and free support to children, teens, young adults, and families after the death of a mother, father, sister, or brother through peer support programs, education, and advocacy.
Many golfers participate in the special outing annually. “I’ve been coming to Golf Fore the Kids for 3 years now. Good Grief is such a heartwarming cause to play for and donate to,” said Marcus Garand of Penn Medicine Princeton Health. When asked why the organization is so meaningful, he shared “One of my brothers died when I was 15-years-old. It’s hard to find people to be there for you – that have gone through a loss like that and understand. I actually didn’t have that, my family didn’t have that. To have Good Grief in the community is tremendous and really makes a difference. It takes a lot of time to heal, but it takes less time when you have support. I know how much it means to have the community’s support, and I look forward to coming to the golf outing every year.”
Golf Fore the Kids was supported by many local businesses who were instrumental in the success of the event. Sponsors include: Abbvie, The Ambriola Company, Atlantic Healthcare System, Bayer Healthcare, The Bank of Princeton, Celgene, The Hofmann Family, GI Pathology, The Grover Family, Hamilton Jewelers, The Hough Family, Insperity Services, JBK Associates, The McDermott Family, Mercedes, NJM Insurance Group, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Private Advisor Group, Princeton Anesthesia Services, Princeton Fitness & Wellness, Princeton Gastroenterology Associates, RBC Wealth Management, Rotary Club at Robbinsville, Sanofi, Sheehy & Molinelli, Sridhar Rao, Stephen and Joyce Shueh, Strawn Arnold and Associates, TSS Facility Services, The Wolfson Family.
The fun filled day of golf concluded at TPC Jasna Polana’s clubhouse with dinner, cocktails, prizes, and a Good Grief participant speaker. The 11-year-old speaker, Imani, lost her father 5 years ago, “I was 6-years-old and I was confused about what death was. I didn’t understand why my dad wasn’t coming back home. I just cried and hoped for the better and waited until he came back. I waited, and waited, and waited…” Imani explained how helpful it was for her family to go to Good Grief after their loss. “The great thing about Good Grief is that you are not alone. There are multiple kids around you who understand your pain and knew what you are going through. These kids become your friends – your family.”
In telling her story, Imani told the story of every grieving kid. She talked about the isolation that results in losing a parent or sibling, and the work it takes to avoid the risk factors associated with childhood bereavement. Imani concluded her remarks by highlighting the importance of Good Grief’s programs in the community, “I learned that even if I didn’t have my dad with me right now, he left me with something I could keep with me for the rest of my life. Good Grief taught me that, yes, physically your loved one is not here anymore but if you honor them and never forget them, they will exist forever in our hearts.”
For more information on the Golf Fore the Kids outing, or to find out how you can make a difference in the lives of Good Grief kids, please visit www.good-grief.org or email info@good-grief.org.
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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 150 communities, Good Grief operates programs in Morristown and Princeton.