Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, a grief support center for children and families, has received a $2,100 grant from the Junior League of Summit (JLS). The grant will help further Imagine’s mission of providing education and free peer grief support to children (aged 3-18) and their families coping with loss due to the death or life-altering illness of a parent or sibling by helping to underwrite a sixth Night of Support at its center located in Mountainside, NJ.
Childhood bereavement is a serious public health issue. The death of a parent or other important person in a child’s life is one of the most commonly reported and disruptive Adverse Childhood Experiences. There are currently more than 109,000 New Jersey youth aged 18 and under who are bereaved due to the death of a parent. Imagine is currently serving over 330 children and adults from 55 New Jersey towns.
“We’re extremely grateful for the Junior League of Summit’s ongoing generous support to Imagine,” said Mary Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of Imagine. “The League’s commitment to children and families is invaluable in helping us build strong communities that support families during one of the most painful and difficult times in their lives. As an effective intervention and prevention program we are committed to helping children grow up emotionally healthy and able to lead meaningful and productive lives.”
Imagine offers free year-round peer grief support at two New Jersey centers — one located in Mountainside, and one in Newark. Concurrent support groups for parents or guardians are offered at the same time the children participate. The groups meet on weekday nights for one and a half hours, and a pizza dinner is provided prior to the group meeting.
About Imagine
Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization, provides year-round grief support for children and young adults using a peer-support group model. Trained adult volunteers and professionals provide children and teens with comfort and the tools needed to process grief resulting from death or life-altering illness. In addition to providing grief support at its two centers in Mountainside and Newark, Imagine provides education in the community, leading workshops and providing on-site support in schools and workplaces where traumatic loss has occurred. Groups, which meet on week nights, serve children and adults from more than 55 New Jersey towns.
Junior League of Summit
The Junior League of Summit is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The League focuses on advancing the interests of children and families in and around the communities of Berkeley Heights, Chatham, New Providence, and Summit.