When you walk into the
Children’s Grief Center of the Great Lakes Bay Region’s office on James Savage Road in Midland, you will be greeted by welcoming staff, colorful artwork, and the organization’s core values printed and displayed around the building.
“We wanted, as a staff, to come up with core values so that when people walked in, they knew exactly what we were all about,” says Chris Sabourin, Executive Director.
“We use them to tell our story, not just as people who are employed here, but what we really stand for. We want to be clear about who we are at the Children’s Grief Center. The core values that we worked several days on do just that. We used chart paper and did research on language so that the community could clearly understand them. We believe in authenticity. We believe in being vulnerable. We believe in trust. We believe in transparency and collaboration.”
Sabourin says his favorite part of the core values is the shared humanity statement: We welcome any human who seeks us out. “If we don’t have the skillset, we will find another agency to help them thrive and be the best human that they can be. The last core value on the list talks about our inner child, and that’s who we are about. We are about children, and if we forget about that, we may go astray. Even as grown adults, playfulness and being creative are important and those are the ideas that this organization was founded upon.”
The mission and vision of the Children’s Grief Center is to provide a healing environment through peer support for children, teens, and their families grieving a death and to create communities where no one grieves alone.
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Children's Grief CenterRocks painted with feelings help kids with grief.
Founded in 2014 by Camille Gerace Nitschky, the Children’s Grief Center started in Midland and has grown to serve Saginaw and Bay counties as well. Nitschky was approached by the
Toni and Trish House, a hospice home serving the terminally ill and their families, to provide grief groups for the families of those who have died. With a background in peer support groups, art therapy, and human well-being, Nitschky used her expertise to launch the nonprofit serving grieving families.
“We have two main programs at this time. We have our evening support group, and we have our school programs,” adds Sabourin. Evening support groups meet twice a month. Midland meetings are held at the
center’s home office. Bay County meetings are held at
Unity of Bay City and Saginaw County’s are held at the
Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum.
“The children will show up, and they work on a theme for that night that our licensed professional counselor, Gabby Gauthier, puts together. At the beginning of group, we actually start with dinner before we start our theme. We work really hard to break down barriers for people, and one of them is providing dinner so our families don’t have to worry about it.”
After the families eat, the kids split off into age-appropriate groups for crafts, games, and group playtime. The adults can join an adult group focusing on the same theme to start conversations once they leave for the night. Sabourin says, “That, to me, is really where the magic happens and is when the kids realize that they are playing with others who have experienced a death in their life, as well. They start talking and sharing their stories, and they know that they are not alone. That’s why we exist: to help them on their grief journey.”
Sabourin, a former schoolteacher and administrator for 27 years, transitioned to the Children’s Grief Center after retiring from Midland Public Schools. He was drawn to the opportunity to bring his passion for working with children to the nonprofit world and to contribute to building stronger communities.
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Children's Grief Center Children's Grief Center Volunteers
Building stronger communities requires a lot of help. People in all three counties can get involved in many ways. Volunteers help run the Children’s Grief Center by facilitating groups, providing group support, performing office tasks, and cleaning. Sabourin appreciates community members spreading the word about the services offered, as it is necessary to let people know who they are and what they do.
“One of my big dreams is to build the capacity to serve children with other kinds of grief,” Sabourin says. The center frequently receives calls for children who are experiencing grief from divorce or the foster care system.
Sabourin also shared a dream to increase the center’s therapies. “Our strategic plan, which we’re in the first year of it, is to have four therapists on board to serve our community. It can be a long wait for kids to get into therapy. So, we are going to start with grieving a death, but we would love to expand our therapies and serve the entire region,” he says.
“We also want to continue to break down barriers for families so they can get to our services. Transportation is a huge barrier. The stigma is another one. Unfortunately, in our society, grief isn’t some big thing to worry about, and that’s just not the case.”
As the dreams get bigger, the funding will need to follow.
The Children’s Grief Center receives funding from grants, sponsors, and donations. An upcoming exciting event is an art show on Oct. 19 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Sawmill in Saginaw County. The event will feature an art auction and a raffle for a progressive dinner for six people in Saginaw. Raffle tickets will be priced at $5 each. There are still some spaces available for artists who want to sell as well. Keep an eye on their social media and website for updates on this and other events.