Ele's Place opens Grand Rapids location to provide peer support to grieving West Michigan kids

When a child experiences a major life loss such as the death of a parent, sibling, friend, or grandparent, they and their families often don't know where to turn to get support through the grieving process.

Ele's Place, a peer support organization with offices in Lansing and Ann Arbor, hopes that by opening a Grand Rapids office the organization can bring the peer support to the West Michigan kids who need it.

Ele's (pronounced Ellie's) Place opens Thurs., June 27, at Third Reformed Church, 2060 Michigan St. NE. The offices operate out of the former parsonage next door at 2000 Michigan St. NE and the peer groups meet in seven classrooms in the church building.

To start, the support sessions are every Thursday evening beginning at 5:45 p.m. Families arrive and sit down to a free supper. Children ages three to 18 then attend facilitated peer group sessions based on their ages and needs. The groups are designed for fun, to help the children make new friends with other kids going through similar losses. The activities vary from structured or unstructured playtime, music, art, or physical activities. All sessions are free.

Managing Director Gerilyn May says one in 20 children will lose a parent to death by the time the child is 18. That means that, at this moment, some 11,000 children in Kent County may be dealing with the death of a parent. Many children also experience the death of a sibling, friend, or grandparent.

"Ele's Place is a place to talk about their losses with other kids who understand where they're at," says May. "Our peer support allows the kids to bond with each other and create their own safe zone where they can trust the kids that are in their group."

While the children are in their support sessions, the adults who came with them are required to remain onsite. They receive support from social workers, clinicians, and other adults grieving losses.

To find out more about the services offered, click here.

Source: Gerilyn May, Ele's Place
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

Images courtesy of Ele's Place