| Judi's House |
The death of a loved one can be an overwhelming experience for anyone. For a child, whose entire experience of the world is defined by their connection to a handful of people, the death of one of those people can be isolating, confusing, life-altering and devastating. While other family members are overcome with their own experience of grief and loss, children often become forgotten mourners.
At Judi’s House, children and teens ages three-24 have the opportunity to participate in peer-based support groups with children their own age who have had similar experiences relating to death loss. Children and their adult caregivers are taught healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with the death of a loved one. They are given the freedom to grieve in their own way and at their own pace, and ultimately learn that hope and healing are possible.
Judi’s House was founded by Brian Griese in honor and in memory of his mother who died when he was twelve years old. The vision of Judi's House is a community in which no child has to feel alone in grief. Our mission is to help children and families who are grieving the death of a loved one find hope and healing within themselves. Judi’s House increases awareness and knowledge of grieving children’s needs by extending grief support services to schools, faith-based groups, hospices, and other caregivers in the community. Judi's House is located in Denver, Colorado, and nearly 4,000 children and their adult caregivers from the metro area have participated in our groups since we opened our doors in 2002.
