Imagine announced today a $50,000 Grief Reach grant from the New York Life Foundation to support Imagine Newark, a new children’s grief support center opening in the South Ward of Newark.
“We are grateful for the New York Life Foundation’s investment in this program, which will help us broaden our services to reach underserved youth,” said Mary Robinson, Imagine Executive Director and Founder. The support will help many grieving children and their families throughout Newark and beyond to get support for loss due to the death of a parent or sibling. The new center will open in March 2019 in the South Ward of Newark.
“Grief Reach applications have grown exponentially since the program began five years ago, which illustrates that awareness and demand for bereavement services is increasing every year,” said Maria Collins, Vice President, New York Life Foundation. “We have responded to the demand by broadening the application parameters and increasing the financial support so that even more grief service providers can reach diverse and disadvantaged youth across the country.”
The New York Life Foundation created the Grief Reach program to help providers overcome barriers to bringing grief support services to youth not served by existing bereavement programs. More than 200 Grief Reach grants totaling over $7 million have been awarded since the program’s inception in 2011. The New York Life Foundation has been one of the leading funders of the childhood bereavement field, investing $35 million to date in support of grieving children and their families.
About the New York Life Foundation
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided $240 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
About Imagine
Imagine provides free year-round peer support groups for children ages 3-18 who have had a parent or sibling die with concurrent groups for parents and guardians. Free support groups are also available for young adults 18 and up who have had a friend, sibling or parent die.