The safe space The Center provides is so important. The Center helped me navigate a traumatic loss when I was a child. Because of them, I never felt alone or scared and was able to express and feel my emotions freely with volunteers and professionals to help me.
The Center for Grieving children has had a lasting impact on our family. My husband died of brain cancer at age 39..leaving a one and three year old. The safe space for 3 year olds and up in sharing the story, love,loss, tears, are all part of the magic of the center. The loving volunteers who create space to have feelings and be yourself ..not to fix, not to do the work for the children..but to allow the children to heal through their own experience is a gift you
don't realize is vital to emotional health. Later I volunteered on the board, as a fundraiser and when ready as a grief facilitator because I want families to always have the center there when they need that safe place where love matters.. cannot say enough after 22 years of watching the CGC grow and expand , spreading the healing even further during covid..
I’m so glad to know that this community has such a wonderful organization that offers hope and supports the resilience of children, teens, and families through a peer support family model, at no cost to them, for as long as they need. I am grateful to be a part of the Center’s family.
I know first hand what a loss can do to a family so I decided to volunteer with CGC. I have been so impressed with the level of compassion and expertise exhibited by everyone I’ve been in contact with. I did online trading during COVID and have helped with mailings during fund raising. Portland is so lucky to have this organization available to grieving families.
Almost 5 years ago, I lost my younger brother in a car accident. I knew I needed support so I reached out to The Center. I was placed in a group with my young adult peers and it gave me a place to relate to others about my loss. From day one, they were so inviting and made me feel like I had a safe space to express my feelings. The people at The Center are so much more than kind and understanding. They truly created a space that felt like a second home. It was a relief to be in a place where everyone understood what I was going through and where I could be others that were dealing with similar losses. I attended groups for a little over a year before phasing out but the time I spend at The Center was invaluable. They helped my through some really tough issues when I felt like I didn't have anyone else to talk to. I will always be appreciative of the services that The Center offers. There is nothing out there quite like it!
A few years ago I only knew the center from listening to my local radio station which does a fundraiser for them each year. The radio host of the fundraiser does an amazing job of inviting clients (both parents and children) onto the airwaves to tell their story and how the Center has helped them. In my personal life, I know of a family whose children attended the Center after a family member died. Their story told me a lot about the kind of people who work at the Center and the impact the Center has on those it serves. As a result of hearing about this impact, I chose to volunteer my time.
This decision has been one of the best decisions of my life. I know my time and effort goes to a group of hardworking, caring and compassionate people who are truly making a difference in our community.
As a donor and volunteer with the Center for Grieving Children, I continue to be incredibly impressed with the level of care and compassion that the Center provides to grieving families and to the greater Portland community. The Center plays such a vital role in the healing process, and offers a wonderfully safe, supportive, and accepting space for all who seek their services. It's truly an honor to support their mission and work, and I'm grateful to be a part of the Center's community.
As a social work intern for the center this year, I can speak of the training that I had to complete before facilitating groups.
The training was well organized and the materials were extremely helpful in teaching the art of facilitating groups surrounding bereavement and grief.
I have seen the peer support model in action and I am honored to be apart of this amazing place.
To be honest, I have wanted the chance to be apart of the center for quiet some time and I feel grateful for having this opportunity. The opportunity to serve the participants at the center and being allowed to share a small piece of their journey.
I've been volunteering at the Center for Grieving Children for the last two years. My contribution is working in the office, helping with mailings, data entry. My favorite experience was covering the front desk. I learned first hand the number of people looking for grief support and the kind and compassionate response those in need receive from the staff and volunteers. It is a joy and a pleasure working with this wonderful group.
Anne Coyne Foster
I have volunteered at the Center for Grieving Children for the past 3years.
This non-profit is above & beyond all.
Their caring, empathy, resourcing and intuition is there for every family and individual that needs help during extremely difficult times
I am humbled by their dedication for all!
I have volunteered with the Center for Grieving Children for almost two years now and it has mostly been throughout the pandemic. Despite the pandemic, the Center has still managed to touch the lives and support those individuals and families who need them. The Center is a remarkable place for those who are struggling with loss or illness. The support they provide is incredible and I could not be more proud to be a part of this team.
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This is a great organization! The staff is full of wonderful people and they are very dedicated to helping children process and learn how to deal with grief. The best thing about it is that they are committed to keeping their services free with no time limit - everybody grieves differently and at their own pace, and they honor that. It's an organization that affects our community in such a positive way. I'm very proud to be connected to this organization!
The Center is a special place where children, teens and adults find comfort in having a common bond, a safe place to share and express emotions that there are often no "big" enough words for. Through art, song, poetry, books, photos, games... discovering that there are so many different ways that they can "speak" and work through their grief. It is amazing and humbling to see how participants, even in the midst of their own pain, will so often offer words, gestures of support, tips on coping and encouragement to lift up another group member who may be struggling.
As I said, a truly, special place.
The Center for Grieving Children provides the much needed support for families suffering a tragic loss. Our dear friend lost her husband, father to their 14 year old daughter, and the Center was there for both of them, providing them with an empathetic support group comprised of people in similar situations. The Center is a phenomenal place that does extremely worthwhile work and is a critical resource that supports the greater Portland, Maine community.
I volunteer at the Center because I know how valuable it is to have someone to talk to in your grieving process, particularly someone who has experienced loss themselves. I feel by doing my menial little task each month it frees the staff up to do the important work of helping those who are experiencing grief from a loss.
My children and I attended The Center for Grieving Children after my husband was killed in an auto accident when they were very young. My daughter’s kindergarten teacher referred us to the center and it became a lifeline for our family. The support groups helped my children learn that they were not alone and I felt supported in my new role as a young widow.
The center helped us make it through each week and work toward establishing our new normal. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without it. I had never heard of the center before our family tragedy. By supporting their community outreach and support programs many families can benefit from their services when the world suddenly changes within your family.
Someday I hope to be trained as a facilitator so that I can give back to the place that was such an important part of my life.
I am a volunteer with the Center for Grieving Children and I love everything about what the Center does. They are able to provide non-judgmental support for anyone who is in the grieving process and they are able to do that at no cost for the families. That is amazing and I am so grateful to be a part of something this important.
My experience has been as a volunteer during special events. Based upon what I know regarding The Center For Grieving Children, critical and essential grieving services are provided to any and all impacted family members at no charge and for as long as needed.
The Center provides guidance and a safe environment to those in need at the most critical times of their lives.
Gerard Morin
Biddeford, Maine
I am a volunteer for the center who helps with mailings, the library, etc. I was drawn to the Center for the work and services they provide. We lost my sister-in-law, an amazing young woman, due to a senseless act of murder. I experienced the damage to the entire family any loss can bring. If it wasn't for a similar organization, Parents of Murdered Children, in another part of the country, I don't know if my mother-in-law would have survived the loss.
The Center's work is not only wonderful, but it is essential.
When I went to working part-time several years ago I was looking for a way to give back.
Friends told me about efforts to provide a grieving program for children in York County.
Joining their efforts has made a major impact in my life. The training provides one the ability to work well with the children and everyone else in your life. Working with the other staff introduces you to wonderful others with a joint love and concern for children. Being with the children is a reward in itself. CGC is a happy place with love and caring at its core. You couldn't find a better place to volunteer.
The CFGC is my top pick for a nonprofit in Portland, Maine. The work they do is so important. I volunteer doing administrative things but also attended an intercultural event last May and can say firsthand that I was blown away by the kind, loving, well-rounded, and informed approach taken by the facilitators with the children. I can also say that every employee I have had contact with at the Center exudes dedication, kindness, and love of the work that they do. 5 stars!
I am a University student, and I have volunteered at The Center for Grieving Children multiple times, and I must say that it has always been such a wonderful time! From the warm and welcoming staff, to the most comfortable atmosphere, I love helping out such a wonderful organization. Thank you for all you do!
I am a volunteer at the Center for Grieving Children. Volunteering for the center as been one of the most rewarding experiences. The staff and other volunteers of the center are wonderful, warm and welcoming. The Center is truly dedicated to serving the needs of the greater Portland community. As an adult who tragically lost my sister when she was 21 and I was 16, it has been wonderful to see that community youth have a safe place to go to grieve. I can not wait to see where my roll with the Center take me and I am blessed to have been welcomed into the Center with a warm embrace.