Good Grief Newsletter June 2022

Dear Good Grief Community,

Welcome to the summer edition of Good Grief News! With the end of the school year upon us, we’re gearing up for our summer programming and trainings while developing our plans for the busy fall season.

In this issue, we share highlights of our successful 5K Run & Walk, our collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties, and a thank you to Morgan Stanley. We also bring you news about volunteer facilitator training, summer camp, and the annual Good Grief Gala in October.

Enjoy the read and thank you for your continued support of Good Grief.

Sincerely,

Theresa A. Shubeck, CEO

OUR 5K RUN & WALK

A Day to Remember

On June 5th, Good Grief had the privilege to gather at Giralda Farms in Madison, NJ with more than 1,000 participants and 62 teams for a special day of remembrance, community, and fun. Our event included activity stations along the walk route and a crafts tent featuring a memory wall of photos and messages submitted by participants in honor of loved ones. Thanks to the generosity of so many, we raised over $170,000 to support our programs and services for our community. Once again, this year Team Semper Fi, led by Yuming and Yuchen Yang, and Team Warrior, led by Good Grief mom Alyson, emerged as our top fundraising teams. Our top corporate sponsor team was Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Our sincere thanks to everyone who joined us to walk, run and volunteer. It was an awesome day! To view more photos from the day, visit our Facebook album.

PARTNER PROFILE –

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties

On June 13th, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties welcomed Good Grief for a session on Supporting Grief and Loss: Responding with Empathy and Compassion. This workshop enabled staff to explore a variety of topics through a grief-informed lens to build their own self-awareness and their capacity to be an empathic presence for others. Their commitment to building up staff capacity around supporting grief and loss will have an impact that reverberates through the schools, communities, and families they serve. If your organization is interested in learning more about how to support learning around grief, empathy, and resilience contact Evelynn, education@good-grief.org.

MORGAN STANLEY

Strategy Challenge

We want to take the opportunity to salute the team at Morgan Stanley for providing us with thoughtful counsel and insightful recommendations during the recent Morgan Stanley Strategy Challenge. Good Grief was one of nine non-profits in the New York metropolitan region selected to participate in this 10-week initiative. Together we completed a comprehensive analysis of our strategic growth plan for Good Grief Schools which affirmed our path forward utilizing an asynchronous learning platform. To learn how your school can participate in Good Grief Schools, contact Evelynn, education@good-grief.org.

FACILITATOR TRAINING

Register Now, Space is Limited

Do you know a caring and compassionate person interested in a rewarding volunteer experience? Is this something you might want to explore yourself? If so, we want to hear from you! In response to continued growth and demand for our peer support programs, we’re holding our next volunteer facilitator training sessions August 5–8 in Princeton and July 15–18 in Morristown (currently waitlisting). The 36-hour grief and loss training program helps volunteers develop skills and build confidence to serve as facilitators for our Nights of Support program which resume in the fall. Inquire today to learn more about becoming part of an amazing group of volunteers serving on the front lines for Good Grief.

GRIEF EXPRESSIONS AT CAMP CLOVER

A Unique Camp Experience

Proudly sponsored and presented by Atlantic Visiting Nurse

Still finalizing summer plans for the kids? Consider enrolling them in Grief Expressions at Camp Clover, August 15–18 at Camp Riverbend in Warren, NJ. This is a four-day bereavement day camp for children and teens who have experienced the death of someone significant in their life. Proudly sponsored and presented by Atlantic Visiting Nurse, camp offers traditional fun summer camp activities, such as swimming, sports, arts, drama, vocal, and much more. Campers explore a variety of ways to express themselves while developing skills, building confidence, making friends, and having fun! Camp provides the opportunity for kids to tap into their creativity and imagination. Transportation to and from camp is provided. Counselor positions available for teens aged 16+. If interested, please e-mail Kim@good-grief.org for information.

SAVE THE DATE

GOOD GRIEF GALA

Mark your calendars and make plans to attend Good Grief’s annual gala, Stronger Together on October 19th at the Park Savoy Estate in Florham Park. It will be a great evening to celebrate all the ways we gain strength working as one team to change the conversation about grief, so no child ever has to grieve alone.