The Center for Grieving Children, Maine

08/31/2026

Thank you for a busy and meaningful summer of community engagement!

As we reflect on a busy and successful summer at the Center, we want to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in, volunteered at, and supported our many events and outreach opportunities.

From community engagement events and awareness initiatives to fundraising activities and tabling opportunities, your time, energy, and enthusiasm helped us connect with our community and advance our mission. Whether you attended an event, volunteered behind the scenes, stopped by a table, or helped spread the word, your contributions made a difference.

Thank you for being part of this wonderful community. Stay tuned for many more opportunities. We are grateful for your support and look forward to continuing this important work together! 💚

Center For Grieving Children

08/20/2026

Do virtual grief groups work for kids? Join us on September 4 to learn how our online peer support groups help children and families feel less alone in their grief. This informational session is designed for caregivers and providers interested in learning more about the Center's virtual grief support offerings and how they can benefit grieving children and families. RSVP to [email protected] or just tune in on Zoom!

08/19/2026

🐾Pet Partner in the Spotlight: Ranger!🐾

Say hello to our newest Pet Partner, Ranger, a certified therapy dog who loves cheeseballs, posing like a meerkat, and most importantly, bringing comfort and smiles to everyone he meets!

Ranger was raised and trained by Mission Working Dogs, and regularly visits schools, hospitals, and community spaces in need of extra support as part of their Crisis Response Team. At The Center, Ranger and his volunteer facilitator and handler Debbi work together to provide calm, comforting support to participants in our Thursday Night Bereavement Groups in Portland as well as their facilitators. Ranger's engaging and joyful presence reminds us of the powerful healing and connection animals can provide through their companionship.

We are incredibly honored and grateful to have our Pet Partners and their certified therapy animals be a part of our Nights of Service. Our furry friends bring companionship, warmth, happiness, and encouragement to our community.

Ranger and Debbi are new additions to our Pet Partner Team, and we look forward to introducing you to other, longtime members of our incredible team across our two in-person locations.

Thank you, Ranger and Debbi, for being part of our community and helping create meaningful moments of comfort and connection!🐾

08/18/2026

Save the Date! We're honored to be the featured nonprofit for Congdon's After Dark Tithing Tuesday on August 25, 2026. Join us from 4:00-8:00pm in Wells, enjoy your favorite food trucks, and help support the Center for Grieving Children's mission. Participating vendors will donate 10% of their net sales to help support our programs and services for Maine children, teens, young adults, and families.
Congdon's After Dark Food Truck Park
1090 Post Road, Wells, Maine
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
4:00-8:00pm
Food, family fun, and community impact, all in one evening.

08/17/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our 4th Annual Center Par-Tee at Schooner Mini Golf on August 12! We were thrilled to spend the evening with so many friends and supporters enjoying mini golf, great food, and community.

A special thank you to Schooner Mini Golf for hosting us once again and donating a portion of the day's proceeds to benefit The Center's programs.

We're also grateful to our event sponsors: Bob's Discount Furniture, Jones, Rich & Barnes, Machias Savings Bank, cPort Credit Union, Haley's Metal Shop, Maine Neonatology Associates, and Paquin & Carroll Insurance, as well as Cheese the Day Food Truck for their generous support.

We'd also like to wish Will a very happy birthday! Will chose to celebrate with his friends at Center Par-Tee while supporting our mission. What a thoughtful and meaningful way to celebrate, and we loved celebrating with you, Will!

Congratulations to our winning mini golf teams and raffle prize winners! Most importantly, thank you all for supporting The Center for Grieving Children and helping ensure our grief support services remain available at no cost to grieving children and families throughout Maine.

08/10/2026

Earlier this summer, we celebrated Family Night in Sanford with the support of two wonderful community partners. A special thank you to Common Roots and their mobile Art Bus for providing creative, hands-on activities for families, and to Kona Ice of York County for treating attendees to refreshing shaved ice. Your generosity, time, and support helped make this free community event a fun and memorable evening for all!

08/05/2026

Thirty incredible runners came together on Saturday, August 1 to represent The Center for Grieving Children, helping raise crucial funds to support our programs and the participants we serve while meeting their individual and team fundraising goals.

It was a hot one, with plenty of hills, determination, and bright green CGC shirts all along the course. Every mile was about something bigger: ensuring grieving children and families in our community can access support and services at no cost.

To our runners, donors, cheerleaders, and our generous sponsors - Independent Order of Odd Fellows, RM Davis, HighPoint, and the VFW of Portland, thank you for showing up for Team CGC and our mission. We couldn't be prouder of this incredible community and all that we have accomplished together! 💚

07/31/2026

As the new school year approaches, supporting students through grief, loss, and crisis remains more important than ever. Join the National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG) for a FREE webinar:

In the Aftermath of Crisis and Loss: Practical Strategies and Tools for Educators and Other Caring Professionals to Talk with and Support Children
August 18, 2026
12:00-1:00pm EST
1 CE Credit available at no additional cost

Participants will learn about the 5Es Framework (Engage, Empathize, Explore, Educate, and Empower), a practical tool developed by the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement to help educators and caring professionals support children after a death or other school/community crisis.

If you work with schools, educators, or youth-serving professionals, please share this opportunity with your network!

Learn more and register here:

This webinar will introduce a new tool designed by the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement for educators and other caring professionals that outlines practical strategies to talk with and support children after a death or other school/community crisis. This tool – the 5Es (Engage, Em...

07/31/2026

We're honored to have been one of the community partners featured in Peter Bruun's Even As We Grieve exhibit at the University of Southern Maine this summer.

As this thoughtful review in Boston Art Review notes, the exhibition is ultimately "an ode to community," highlighting how connection, creativity, and shared care can help us navigate grief. We're grateful to have participated in this meaningful project and to help create spaces where grief can be acknowledged and supported.

Read more here:

Responding to the death of his daughter, Elisif, Bruun’s exhibition presents drawings that move between abstraction and collaboration, situating grief within shared acts of making and care.

07/30/2026

“Our kids mean everything to us. Whether our own children, grandchildren, extended family, students, friends — they are our hearts walking around outside our bodies.”

Written by Julie Butcher Pezzino, executive director of the Childrens Museum and Theatre of Maine and Gretchen Johnson, executive director of the The Center for Grieving Children, Maine.
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Read more (gift article)…

The tragic loss in Biddeford is a reminder that we need to call on Maine's elected officials to prioritize the safety and security of all our children.