Generosity and gratitude

From the Director

Fall/Winter 2017

Dear Friends,

The generosity I have seen this year has been overwhelming, to say the least. The donations made to our Center both monetarily and in the form of snacks, books on our wish list, gifts for our kids holiday gift bags, volunteer hours from our facilitators, board members and others have been abundant. I cannot express enough our gratitude for your kindness.

As the holidays are upon us and the gift-giving frenzy begins, let us be reminded to give thanks for our most precious gifts; the gifts of our loved ones. Let us also remember the many children and families of Mary’s Place who are grieving the loss of their loved one this holiday season. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the number of recent tragic events in the world that have affected so many. The Las Vegas shooting, hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas as well as the church shooting in Texas are only a few of the devastating events that have shaken our world and left so many in grief. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families as well as to all those mourning a loved one.

Thanks to your ongoing support, we continue to have the opportunity to help the many children and families who come to Mary’s Place. Your support also gives us the resources to continue to spread the word about our mission and reach more families. We recently gave a presentation to the volunteers of a local hospice organization. Our new fundraising system has allowed us to reach a more digital crowd via our e-mail updates. We attended a human services conference in October and connected with over 100 local human service professionals. Mary’s Place was recently in an article in Parade Magazine as the featured charity of Connecticut. We have had a tremendous response from our Messages From The Heart program, explained in detail in our last newsletter, which has been called “the missing link” by one school. This program has allowed us to share our services with entire school communities and offer support to the bereaved outside of our doors. It has also guided grieving families to our doors. We remain grateful for every opportunity to spread the word about the work we do in the hope that no child or family will be without support.

I encourage you to reach out to those you know who are grieving and to mention Mary’s Place or other helpful resources you know about. The holiday season can be an especially tough time of year. What can help ease the pain a bit is the love, understanding, compassion and support of others. It can start with you and continue at Mary’s Place.

May this holiday season be a time of many blessings for you and your families. Our sincere thanks to you all for your support which makes such a difference in the lives of so many.

Warmly,

Brittany Sheehan

Executive Director