May 2020 Update - Jeff's Place

Jeff’s Place Program Update

Without skipping a beat, I am proud to share that our phenomenal staff learned how to provide virtual support to our Jeff’s Place families as soon as we had to close our physical space. Since March 19, 2020 we have provided tele-health support groups, and beginning March 24th, we added individual check-ins for all of our Jeff’s Place kids and families. These have been very popular, and based on our April 24th survey results, we will continue to offer tele-health services throughout July rather than wrapping up by mid-June, as we typically follow the public school calendar.

We have added new behavioral health services to our programming as a result of COVID-19. Jeff’s Place is excited to announce a Wednesday June series of online community support for connecting while grieving in a physical distancing climate. Please use this anonymous LINK to submit questions and concerns for us to address and participate in a live memorial event on June 17th at 7:30pm. Stay tuned on Facebook and Instagram.

In addition, we are beginning a “Parenting While Grieving” series for our waitlist families in June, as well as individual check-ins for their children.

As always, we are constantly evaluating our service delivery options based on the needs of our community. We will continue to do so and add or expand services based on the feedback of our Jeff’s Place families and the needs of our larger grieving community.

I would love to hear your feedback, questions or suggestions of how we can meet the needs of our grieving community, especially now. Please reach out to me at jenny@jeffsplacemetrowest.org and we can schedule a call!

In gratitude and hopes for good health and peace,

Jenny

Heartfelt Appreciation

Jeff’s Place is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support by our entire village during this challenging time… physically, emotionally, & financially…. pretty much every “…y” there is! Thank you to all of you who have reached out and offered to help us in countless ways, for those of you who contributed to our virtual gala campaign, and to local foundations who have stepped up when we truly need it the most. We are humbled and appreciate your trust in us as we strive to insure our vision that “No one grieves alone.”

Endings & Beginnings

– excerpt from our Clinical Director, Melissa Kennedy Panto’s virtual gala speech

In 2010, we opened our doors with just 6 grieving families.

For the first several years, we ran our only group at Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland. They were generous enough to open their hearts and open their doors for our grieving families to gather, free of charge.

In 2013, we were able to secure an office space at 34 Deloss Street in Framingham through the generosity of Fenix Partners, and with that we added additional groups. And since the only constant is change, in 2015, we made the decision to house ALL our groups at our office on Deloss Street. We continue to hold our annual holiday memorial and end-of-year celebrations at the temple and truly appreciate their generosity!

Remember in 2010, we started with just 6 families. Today, we directly support over 65 families in our program… and we’ve served countless grieving families in the past decade along with thousands in the community through our educational trainings, our crisis response, and other programming.

Up until two years, it was thought that 1 in 20 children before the age of 18 would experience the death of a parent or sibling… NOW, we know that it is 1 in 14 nationwide. Our program is more important than ever.

This past decade has shown us many things: at Jeff’s Place we build communities, we create connections, we instill rituals to remember, and we hold hope for our families…. And the good news is… We are not going anywhere…

Well, that’s not exactly true. We are GOING places…. We thrilled that after renting for the past several years, Jeff’s Place has secured a permanent residence at 281 Pleasant Street in Framingham. This space allows more opportunities for growth and more importantly to better serve our families and those currently waiting to be served. We can’t wait until we can host an Open House and welcome you!

A lot has changed in the last 10 years, but some things will remain the same… our commitment to our grieving families, our commitment to the community, and our commitment to ensure that no one grieves alone. Thank you for your commitment and your support.

Capital Campaign Update

Jeff’s Place found a new home to meet its many growing needs. Please help us raise the necessary $75,000 shortfall!! Some donors gave through stock donations, others through charitable and personal giving, and some got creative with bake sales and a bike-a-thon (virtual works!). Every penny is appreciated and is held in a restrictive fund specifically towards the purchase and necessary renovations at 281 Pleasant Street in Framingham, which begins next month. For more information about giving and naming opportunities, please EMAIL ME to discuss ideas or click HERE.

This is a HOME where we can continue to expand our services and create a warm, welcoming environment where our grieving families find a haven of healing and hope.