The Center for Grieving Children, Maine

Join us for Backyard Yoga with Pam Cates! This outdoor all-levels yoga class takes place in the backyard of the Cates Family Farm in Gray, Maine. Enjoy moving under the sky while the farm’s kunekune pigs wander about and maybe stop and say hello!

This class is donation-based, with each session highlighting a different Maine nonprofit organization. Your entire contribution goes directly to supporting the featured nonprofit. This week, they generously highlighting The Center For Grieving Children!

Backyard Yoga with Pam Cates

To learn more, visit:

https://www.talulahsgarden.org/events/backyard-yoga-the-center-for-grieving-children

This week, we held our board welcome and orientation for our new board members – Jessica Estes, Kimberly Marcotte, Brian Morin, Michael Neff, and Bryan J. Shumway. We were thrilled to have , Christal Cherry, join us for a board coaching session to help orient us and start us off on a strong foot. We look forward to seeing how these individuals help to shape our organization!

We are so excited to announce some BIG changes to our Development and Marketing Teams at the Center for Grieving Children.

Our very own Emma Walker has been promoted to Director of Philanthropy. Emma's kindness, care, and thoughtful approach to fundraising are sure to sustain our agency while also honoring the beautiful relationships we've built with donors over many years.

Kelly McCormack will be joining us as our new Director of Marketing. Kelly brings a wealth of knowledge and talent in the non-profit space with her, most recently serving at the Maine Association of Nonprofits for nearly 7 years. Kelly will be leading our marketing and event efforts. Please join us in giving her a very warm welcome to our team!

Emma's photo by

We are sending the biggest thank you to our incredible team of Center fundracers!! After a summer of training and raising awareness and funding for the Center, these amazing runners braved the downpour and heat on Saturday to complete this year’s Beach to Beacon! They also FAR exceeded their fundraising goal, raising crucial support for our grief support programs.

Thank you to these incredible individuals!! 👟💜 And to our friends at the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Fraternity Lodge No 6 for sponsoring this year’s tshirts!

We had so much fun at Nonprofit Awareness Night at the Game, raising awareness about our York County programs. For more information about our York County groups, visit our website or email [email protected].

Thanks for having us!

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month is recognized every July to support parents who have lost a child and to raise awareness of their grief. At the Center for Grieving Children, we offer two specific groups for those who have experienced this tender loss. In addition to our Bereaved Parent groups, we have adult groups for those individuals who bring children to the center.  To join one of our free peer support groups or gain more information about our programming call the center at 207-775-5216 to speak with our program staff.  

Representatives from the Center for Grieving Children recently participated in the National Alliance for Children’s Grief Annual Conference in Colorado. Center staff Jamie Schwellenbach and Sara Asch along with Consultants Christine Linnehan and Valerie Jones delivered presentations on using creative modalities and reflective practices in groups. Jamie and Christine focused on incorporating movement therapy into groups while Sara and Valerie focused on working with very young children. Congrats to them for their hard work and for representing the Center!

Please help us in welcoming Kim Donnelly as our new Board President!  As the Executive Vice President and Director of Wealth and Business at Gorham Savings Bank, Kim brings so much leadership and strategic thinking to this role. She also brings a great deal of care and dedication that we know  will serve the Center well.
 
Please join us as well in thanking Doug Currier for his past service as our Board President. Doug guided our agency through a critical time - helping us to find a new executive director and transitioning leadership. It was no small task, and he did a beautiful job. Doug Currier is stepping into the role of Immediate Past President, where he will share all that he has learned with Kim and remain a steady support for the Center. We are so grateful for all that Doug has done for us over the past year.  Thank you, Doug!

of directors

Please join us in welcoming five new board members to our incredible team! Jessica Estes , Kimberly Marcotte, Brian Morin, Michael Neff, and Bryan J. Shumway.

We feel so lucky to have these talented individuals add their voices to our organization and help guide our next chapter.  Welcome to the Center! 👋

It's the beginning of a new fiscal year and, with that, we are saying a fond farewell to some amazing board members. Huge thanks to Jeannine Pendergast, Diana Nelson, and Dr. Mary Ottolini. We are so grateful for their time, talent, and all of the dedicated passion they put into the Center. They have changed our organization for the better, and we are thankful.

In the coming days, we will be welcoming some new board members and announcing a new slate of officers.  Stay tuned!

Thank you to STEVE SMITH Trial Lawyers and all for your generous support of grieving families in Maine. We are sending love and care to the family and friends of Chiara Ferrante Cyr. ❤️

Today Chiara Ferrante Cyr would have turned 36 years old. In her memory, we invite you to join us in supporting The Center for Grieving Children, Maine, by making a donation. The Center helps families in need by offering support, outreach, and education at no cost.

The Center for Grieving Children is hiring a new Director of Philanthropy. This is an essential leadership role that is critical to the future success of the Center. The position includes a hybrid/flexible work schedule, generous PTO, and other attractive benefits. Consider joining our team and help us offer hope and support the resilience of children, teens, and families throughout Maine.

For more information and to apply, find the link in our bio.

We're so excited to have members from and individual community members join us for the Day of Action!

Today, volunteers are out in Southern Maine working with community partners. These wonderful volunteers are painting our Middles and Tweens rooms at the Center. It's SO important that our spaces be safe, welcoming, and a place of comfort for our participants. These folks are helping to make that possible, and we're so grateful. ❤ Thank you!

We have the most wonderful group of families, former families, volunteers, and friends running this year’s Beach to Beacon 10K to raise funding and awareness in support of Center families. 💜

You can help runners like Ashley hit their fundraising goals by clicking here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/cgcbeachtobeacon2024

Holidays honoring a specific person can be difficult for many. There are different reasons & ways grief might show up for you. We encourage you to be gentle with yourself, ask for help when needed, and carve out space to be present with and honor your feelings in whatever way feels best.

If you feel the need of resources this Father’s Day, please know that we're here for you. Find resources and ways to reach out at cgcmaine.org.

Join MANP Connects to see our former Executive Director, Anne Heros, and our new Executive Director, Gretchen Johnson, discuss Leadership Transitions - a topic they know a lot about and have handled beautifully. 💜

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀? Join MANP Connects on Friday, June 21st and hear from nonprofit leaders on how they approached the transition process and what they learned. We look forward to hearing from:

Rebecca Hatfield, Avesta Housing;
Anne Heros, The Center for Grieving Children, Maine
Gretchen Johnson, The Center for Grieving Children, Maine; and
Bruce King, Maine Boys to Men

Register here: https://www.nonprofitmaine.org/events/manp-connects-2024-leadership-transitions

Thank you to our 2024 MANP Connects Sponsors Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Eaton Peabody!

Today is the Center for Grieving Children’s first annual Day of Giving! Give today to help provide peer support programs to grieving families in Maine. Our friends at HM Payson have generously provided a 1:1 MATCH for all gifts up to the first $3,000 raised today!

The butterfly is a universal symbol of hope, and the blue butterfly is often associated with children’s grief. Inspired by the butterfly, we are spreading the wings of hope to grieving Mainers this Center Day of Giving. Grief is complex and vast, and the Center provides peer support to families, children, and individuals dealing with grief and loss in all of its forms throughout Maine.

Thanks to the support we get from our donors, we are able to provide all of these programs at no cost to participants. Make a gift today to help us sustain our no-cost programs for grieving Mainers.

To donate:
https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form?svcid=tcs&formId=4c358d6b-2f49-4932-bee0-6206d57252db&envid=p-z-F89KlHj0GiiiJ8_FCFvg&zone=usa

The Center for Grieving Children, Maine The Center for Grieving Children's mission is to provide a safe space, loving peer support, outreach

We're so excited that The Center for Grieving Children will receive $1 for each $3.00 reusable GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Bag sold throughout June 2024 at the Shaw's located at 1364 Congress St, Portland ME. We are grateful to be chosen as this month’s nonprofit Partner! All proceeds directly support our no-cost Peer Support Programs.

Join us on August 21st at Schooner Mini Golf as we raise money in support of the Center’s grief peer support services! ⛳️

Purchase your tickets at the link below for a fun-filled evening of mini golf, ice cream, prizes, and more!

https://www.cgcmaine.org/event/minigolf/

We co-hosted a Grief Walk this past weekend along with the Cape Elizabeth United Methodist Church. Participants were able to spend time together out in nature, and we placed quotes related to bereavement and healing along the trail for folks to read as they walked. Jessie Kessler, an intern, wrote a poem for the walk that she has graciously allowed us to share. Here’s a short snippet: 

Grief is a landscape 
we meander through,
weaving a path 
as best we can.

- The Landscape 

Tune in to any of the above radio stations on Sunday 19th at 5:30 AM to hear our Director of Outreach and Education, Sara Asch, speak about our grief services.

Community Connections airs at 5:30 AM on all stations except 99.3 The Wave, where it’s on at 6:00 AM. The program will be available to listen to on all associated websites after it airs.

Community Connections in Maine lifts up the people, organizations, and issues that make Maine a better place to live, work, and play.

Meet Luna! Luna is a Certified Therapy Dog and is part of our "Pet partner" program at the Center. Tiana (Luna’s human companion) is a licensed psychologist and has gone through our facilitator training program. Together, Tiana and Luna rotate through groups on Tuesday nights to provide support, comfort (and maybe some smiles) for the kids. Having Luna’s sweet face greet nervous kids at the door can be a positive way to start our peer support groups. Thank you, Luna and Tiana!

Mother’s Day can be a challenging time of year for those who are grieving. Please know that we are here for you today and every day. The Center is thinking of you and has you in our hearts.

The Intercultural Program recently held its Community Celebration Week at the Center to mark the end of programming for the school year. Past participants, community members, and facilitators joined together with current participants for a series of celebrations with amazing food, music, craft activities, and more.

Thank you to all of the Intercultural Program volunteers for your amazing support and CONGRATULATIONS to this year's participants; we wish them all the best! Thank you as well to RTP Transportation for their support in making it possible for participants to return to the Center for the first time since 2020.

Butterflies are a universal symbol of hope, something the Center for Grieving Children brings to families dealing with grief across Maine.

Get ready to help us spread the wings of hope this June with a special Day of Giving brought to you in partnership with HM Payson! Keep an eye on our social media as the date approaches to help us meet our goal this spring, and help us continue to bring hope to children and families.

Join our team! We're seeking a passionate, experienced individual to lead our fundraising event efforts at the Center. Our ideal candidate will have  event planning or coordination experience in either nonprofit or for-profit environments, experience in sponsorship solicitation and/or sales, the ability to work well with volunteers, and a desire to make a difference in their community. Does this sound like you? Find more details and apply on the Maine Association of Nonprofits Job Board. Link in Bio.

This is a full-time position with benefits.

Our gratitude to SymQuest for their generous support of our programs! 💜 Thank you!

SymQuest presented The Center for Grieving Children, Maine with a $1,000 check as part of their One Grand of a Helping Hand campaign. Executive Director, Gretchen Johnson (left), and Katy Sargent (center), Grants and Communications Specialist at The Center, is pictured here with SymQuest President, Meg Fleming (right).

The Center for Grieving Children provides safe space, peer support, outreach and education to grieving children, teens, and families in Maine through a no-cost peer support family model. Its peer support group services are led by dedicated and highly trained staff and volunteers, thanks to the generous support of the community. Learn more: https://www.cgcmaine.org

SymQuest recently celebrated the relocation of their Westbrook, Maine office with a ribbon cutting ceremony, where five non-profits each received a $1,000 donation. Read more: https://hubs.la/Q02vKtN_0

Thank you to our wonderful friends at for including the Center for Grieving Children in their annual Egg Hunt this April! It was SUCH a joy to gather with so many members of our community as they explored the beautiful farm, ate delicious cider donuts, and made a truly incredible difference for Center families. We’re so grateful to all who participated and honored to team up with the amazing hearts at Sandy Hill!

We're sending a big thanks to the for hosting a night for our participants, facilitators, and staff. From one of the night's attendees: "It was such a calm environment to hang out with fun little cats.  I really enjoyed my time at the Meow Lounge.  I loved how all the cats would let me pet them, even when they were sleeping.” - Aubrey

Thank you for a sweet evening, Meow Lounge! 🐈

To close out Volunteer Appreciation Week, we're highlighting some of our amazing volunteer facilitators. We have over 120 facilitators who donate their time each week to our peer support groups. We wish we could let you know how special each of them are. These are just a few. To ALL of our volunteers, THANK YOU! We couldn't do our work without you!