The 26 Foundation

A Giving Tuesday message from our Board of Directors💚

If you would like to consider supporting our Giving Tuesday initiatives, you can follow the links below to our Give Butter & Amazon pages.
https://givebutter.com/2aBC7l
https://a.co/boCVChK

A big thank you to Ryan at American Vintage Barber Co. and Noel for choosing to support The 26 Foundation during their October fundraiser in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

Their generous contributions, along with the support of all of those who participated in their fundraiser, will allow us to continue to support those in their 20s and younger bereaved by the passing of a parent.

To learn more about our work, or to seek financial assistance for grief counseling services, please visit our website.

Thanks for supporting The 26 Foundation and Relay for Life, Billy!

Each year, The 26 Foundation offers the 'LIFE' scholarship to a graduating senior who has lost a parent. This years recipient graciously shared her wise words for other students who may find themselves in the same position.

Say 'Hello' to Debbie - Founding Board Member & Treasurer for The 26 Foundation

Join us for 'Grief Chats'; The 26 Foundation's podcast exploring the in's and out's of grief through casual chats and conversations.
Now available on Spotify!

The Pilot, Caring for Grief Like the Flu by Grief Chats Join us for the pilot episode of 'Grief Chats'; a new podcast that explores navigating grief through casual chats and conversations.

Chances are, you knew someone who was going through the unimaginable as a child or teen. Help us show up for them by covering the cost of grief therapy.
📱 GIVE26 to 53-555 to Donate

Get to know the people who run The 26 Foundation 👋🏼

🤍We were established in honor of our founders mom, Jackie, who passed away at 56 leaving her three daughters behind.
🤍 We help those in the 20's and younger navigate the loss of a parent.
🤍 We host monthly 'Grief Chats' to help you connect with other grieving young folk.
🤍 We believe grief counseling is essential - and we're happy to help cover the cost of it.
🤍 We can work directly with mental health care providers to ensure their grieving patients have access to their services.

We see you when...
🤍It feels like the world is moving on, forgetting your grief.
🤍It looks like everyone around you can go back to normal, and you're stuck.
🤍You can't imagine what a world without grief looks like.

On this we invite you to help us spread the word so we can give to the grieving.
Our funds to-date afford us the opportunity to pay for over 150 grief therapy sessions for those bereaved by the death of a parent. Yet, so many people don't know we exist, and are a resource to help them navigate grief.

This is where we need your help! Today is our opportunity to get the word out, a chance for us to start new conversations. Would you be willing to take on one of our 'spread the word' challenges? You never know who you might reach!

You are not alone. There are other people with your experience.
Join us tomorrow at 7 pm EST, for Grief Chats on Zoom. Grief Chats are an opportunity for people who have been bereaved by the death of a parent while in their 20s or younger to come together. We mean it when we say, you are not alone.

Sign-Up:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf95ZTKdtFGnOMwpQ-jHQzvVkme-dMiiGgla1VyDqWN9Gtirw/viewform

YOU are the reason we can make a difference!
Check out what your contributions will help us accomplish, and what is coming up with The 26 Foundation.

Thank You Thursday!
To our incredible donors, we could not have started this journey without you. In a weeks time we are over half way to our 26 day fundraising goal. Thank you for caring, thank you for being apart of the conversation. YOU are the reason we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Today, join us on our Instagram and Facebook stories as we share different resources that allow you, whether you’re a 27-year-old who just lost your dad or a surviving parent trying to explain to your nine-year-old what happened to their mom, to see your grief reflected through various mediums of media.
•••••
Do you have a resource, whether a book, a movie or maybe a podcast, that you found solace in after the loss of a parent? Share it with us, so we can share it with others.

On May 30, 2022, Jacklyn Beth Wnuk passed away at the young age of 56. Her passing left behind her husband and three daughters. At the time of her passing her oldest daughter was 25, her middle daughter was 22 and her youngest daughter was only 20 years old.
In life, she was an active member of her small Northern New York community and a fierce advocate for the underdog. She cared for others as if they were her own and often went out of her way to ensure other’s needs were met before her own. In essence, Jacklyn was the type of mother that every person on this earth deserves.
Through the experience of Jackie‘s passing, her daughters wanted to ensure that those in the 20s and younger who may also find themselves grieving the loss of a parent had a common community to engage with and the resources to heal after a significant loss.

Did you know the average cost of ONE grief counseling session is roughly $90-$120 dollars, with some costing as much as $250?

Now image you’re 22, just lost your dad and have to figure out how to pay for therapy when you can hardly figure out how to get out of bed in the morning.

The grieving deserve the chance to process their emotions without worrying about how much it costs.

Would you consider helping someone cover the cost of a grief counseling session? Text ‘GIVE26’ to 53-555

Did you or someone you know lose a parent in your 20s or younger? Is the financial burden of grief counseling too much?
••••
Apply on our website for financial support for these services. Everyone should be able to talk to someone, you don’t have to process this alone.

We often get asked, ‘What exactly will The 26 Foundation do?’
The answer is simple, we support grieving young people in three ways:

1. Financial support for grief counseling.
When somebody loses a parent, they deserve the opportunity to talk to a trained professional as a way to help them process the experience, regardless of their ability to afford counseling.

2. Creating a community of peers with similar experiences.
Grief is an isolating experience, especially as a young person. Often were left to wonder if anybody could possibly understand what we’re going through. We want to provide the grieving wirh the opportunity to create community with people who know exactly what it’s like to loose a parent.

3. A network of resources.
Sometimes we don’t know where to turn as we grieve. Our resource network provides grieving young people with an array of resources ranging from books and podcasts to visual media and playlists.

We are LIVE!
Head over to our website to learn more about The 26 Foundation.

Tomorrow we launch, and today we spread the word!

Like this post, tag a friend and click share and at the end of the night we’ll select one of you to receive a 26 Foundation shirt.

Grief works better out loud, thanks for joining the conversation!

Only three more days to go!

We’re just four days away from our formal launch! Will you join us?

Welcome to The 26 Foundation

Three months ago, the Wnuk family was devastated by the loss of their matriarch, Jackie Wnuk. At the time of her passing, Jackie's daughters were 25, 22, and 20 years old. During her life, she was the ultimate advocate and was always rooting for the underdog. Following her passing, her family wanted to preserve her spirit by starting The 26 Foundation in hopes of supporting other individuals who find themselves grieving the loss of a parent or guardian in their 20's and younger. Our primary mission is simple; remove the financial barrier to grief counseling by paying for individuals to receive this service, foster a community of people who have the shared experience of parent loss at a young age, and to build-out a network of resources that individuals can engage with as they navigate life after parent loss.

Our official launch is just days away, and we invite you to join in on the conversation, because grief works better out loud.