Ele’s Place is a nonprofit, community based organization dedicated to creating awareness of and support for grieving children, teens and their families. Through peer support group programs, Ele’s Place helps children to cope with the death of a parent, sibling or other loved one. Before coming to Ele’s Place, many grieving children feel alone and keep their feelings inside, not wanting to burden their parents or other family members. Often, friends don’t seem to understand if they haven’t had a similar experience. But each week at Ele’s Place, hundreds of grieving children find a warm and welcoming place to meet new friends who really understand how they feel, and begin to heal after the death of a loved one.
One in twenty children under the age of 18 have experienced the death of a parent. Many others will grieve the death of a sibling or another important person in their lives. Ele’s Place recognizes that children’s grief is unique, and that unaddressed grief can have a negative impact on children’s health and well-being. Unresolved childhood loss is often linked with adolescent and adult depression, poor school performance, violence, truancy, alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicidal tendencies. Ele’s Place helps grieving children & teens by supporting them during their bereavement and providing them with life-affirming skills, so they may continue their lives with hope and confidence.