Contact: Michael Connelly, Partner - Boston Bullpen Project
Phone: 617-435-1188
Email: mp.connelly1@comcast.net
Website: haloinitiatives.org
Boston BullPen Project’s Healing After Loss to Overdose (HALO) Initiatives is a community-focused philanthropic program dedicated to supporting individuals who have lost a loved one to opioid overdose. Through HALO Initiatives, surviving family members receive support and financial assistance to address both immediate needs and long-term challenges related to health, healing, and community connection.
HALO Initiatives inaugural fund is the Family Overdose Support Fund (FOSF). A partnership between the Boston BullPen Project Inc., the City of Boston, and the Boston Public Health Commission.
If you are a Boston resident who has recently lost a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support to assist with the following:
Funeral Expenses: Funerals, burials, or cremation services for the person who died from overdose.
Behavioral Health Services: Therapy or support services by a licensed clinician for surviving family members.
Child Wellness Support: Childcare and enrichment costs (e.g., camps, after-school programs, extracurricular activities) for children impacted by a parent, guardian, or sibling’s fatal overdose.
Legal Fees: Custody or legal arrangements related to the death of your loved one.
Find out more/apply at haloinitiatives.org.
Jeff's Place Children's Bereavement Center, Inc.
Location: 281 Pleasant Street, Framingham, MA 01701
Phone: (508) 879-2800
Website: https://www.jeffsplace.org/
What they do: Offers a supportive community for grieving children and teens; also offers services for families.
Evening programs: Offers evening support groups, twice monthly, for children and teens ages 7-18 and their caregivers who have experienced a loss. Groups start at 6:30pm and run for about two hours.
After school groups: Groups designed to meet the needs of younger children ages 3-10; the groups run twice a month starting at 4:15pm. They use art, books, and play to explore and express feelings.
Specialized sibling/child loss group: Special group night for families who have experienced the death of a child/sibling. Parents meet in one group while children/teens meet in another (ages 5-18).
Click here for application for programs/groups listed above
Young adult group: Group held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm on zoom that is intended to support grievers between the ages of 18 and 25.
Click here for application for young adult group
Location: 1210 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476
Contact: Jon Gay, Executive Director
Phone: (781) 641-4741
Website: https://childrensroom.org/
What they do: Offers grief support services for children and teens ages 3½ to 18
Peer support groups: Groups that seek to offer children, teens, and their families an opportunity to find connection and community after the death of an immediate family member.
Call (781) 641-4741 or email info@childrensroom.org for introductions and to schedule an orientation
After an orientation, a family application will be given, and a group will be assigned once the application is complete.
Teen program: Designed to meet the unique psychosocial needs of adolescents in 8th-12th grade who have experienced the death of a parent or sibling. The program incorporates a variety of free social outings and expressive art-based workshop to meet a range of interests, skills, comfort levels, and communication styles.
Click here for more information on their teen program
Call (781) 641-4741 or email info@childrensroom.org to register and/or schedule a meeting
Family night: a monthly arts-based meeting offered through zoom that provides families the opportunity to gather together, centered around a creative arts activity focused on memories and meaning-making; materials are mailed to participants prior to the meeting.
RSVP is required, email info@childrensroom.org for info regarding intake/registration before attending
Location: Headquarters: 255 River Street, Mattapan, MA 02126
Phone: (617) 414-4005
Website: https://www.bmc.org/programs/good-grief-program
The Good Grief Program at Boston Medical Center provides therapeutic support to pediatric patients of BMC who have experienced an important loss such as the death of a significant person, divorce, or separation from a primary caregiver. After a loss, children need the support of caring adults to help them make sense of their loss, to support their grief, and to strengthen their strategies to cope. The Good Grief Program offers a steadying and supportive force for children who are grieving as they respond to their loss or losses.
The program accomplishes this work through a variety of efforts, including:
Offering consultation appointments to caregivers searching for the best ways to support their grieving children.
Providing grief therapy.
Providing grief-sensitive training and consultation to community agencies
Connecting individuals to grief resources.
Through these services, the Good Grief Program seeks to meet the needs of children who are grieving and promote lifelong resiliency. If you are interested in learning more about our program, please call our program line at 617.414.4005. The Good Grief Program provides services to children and youth who:
Are patients of Boston Medical Center,
Are between the ages of 0-18,
Have experienced an important loss, and
Currently reside in Massachusetts.
Location: 85 Post Office Park Suite 8521 Wilbraham, MA 01095
Phone: (413) 279-2010
Website: https://ricksplacema.org/
What they do: Rick’s Place supports children, teens (5-18 yrs.) and their families after a loved one has died. Through facilitated peer support groups, Rick’s Place offers grieving children and their caregivers a safe place to remember their loved ones, honor their memories, and avoid the sense of isolation that such a loss can produce.
National alliance for children’s grief (NACG)
Location: 5109 82nd St, Suite 7 #1117 Lubbock, TX 79424
Phone: (866) 432-1542
Website: https://nacg.org/
What they do: Non-profit organization that raises awareness about the needs of children and teens who are grieving a death and provides education and resources for anyone who supports them. A nationwide network comprised of professionals, institutions and volunteers.
Link for support locator: https://nacg.org/find-support/
Click here to become a member
The Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families
Location: PO Box 86852 Portland, OR 97286
Phone: (503) 775-5693
Email: help@dougy.org
Website: https://www.dougy.org/
What they do: Provides support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and families who are grieving can share their experiences before and after a death.
Click here to access their worldwide grief support program directory
Location: Headquarters: One Penn Center, 1617 JFK Blvd., Suite 935, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (267) 687-7724 Fax: (267) 687-7705
Email: info@elunanetwork.org
Website: http://elunanetwork.org
What they do: Eluna supports children and families impacted by grief or addition.
"Children affected by grief or addiction can feel isolated and alone. Circumstances put them at increased risk for depression, suicide, poverty, anxiety and behavior problems. Children living in a home with addiction are also at four times the risk of developing addiction on their own. Eluna's programs come alongside children and their families to provide vital support helping to prevent complications that arise from unaddressed childhood bereavement and to help break the cycle of addiction in the next generation. Eluna is dedicated to energizing new research and inspiring political advocacy that will lead to higher standards of care and positive outcomes for children in the fields of bereavement and addiction. By raising awareness for these issues, Eluna reduces stigmas, improves understanding, and makes healing possible for children in need.'