Outreach program for grieving students helping thousands across Arizona

PHOENIX — When a child tragically loses a parent or a sibling, Billy's Place is there. Along with its other services, the free children's grief support center in the West Valley is finding ways to help thousands of kids across the Valley through the non-profit's Grief Informed School program.

"Grief Informed School was created by Billy's Place and it's only offered in Arizona at this time,” said Kim Humphrey, the Director of Operations at Billy’s Place.

The program was developed after a desperate call for help from educators, according to Humphrey.

"These are people that are coming to us and saying, ‘We need this. We did not receive this training during our schooling, we need help supporting our grieving students,’” Humphrey told ABC15.

Now teachers, counselors, and other staff members are being trained to help spot and help students on the verge of an emotional breakdown – or worse.

“Last year we reached about 17,000 students in the school,” Humphrey said. “And this year, we are planning to reach over 83,000 students."

The number of kids being helped throughout the state is skyrocketing because staff members from different schools talk to each other, Humphrey said.

"We created a six-hour training. The first part of the training is kind of based around like grief, education, grief awareness, it could be something as simple as terminology,” Humphrey said. “The end goal being that they can then hold a grief support group at the school themselves."

Thanks in part to generous grants from Thunderbirds Charities, the Billy's Place outreach team can help even more schools build cultures of kindness.

"This year, we did little stickers that say #bethere,” Humphrey said. “We send a bag to the schools that have these resources, as well as all kinds of ideas on, you know, activities they can actually do at the school."

Juli McGreal founded Billy's Place 10 years ago after losing her husband. Her son, Billy, was a toddler at the time.

“All of us are going to deal with somebody dying at some point,” McGreal said. “Knowing that you can prepare your kids, giving them the coping skills to deal with this. That's what our loved one would want."

ABC15’s Kaley O’Kelley interviewed the Founder and Director of Operations at Billy's Place several weeks ago. Since then, according to the School Bereavement Liaison at Billy’s Place, even more students have been able to get help through the Billy's Place Grief Informed School program.

Currently, there are 115 participating schools from eight districts seeing the life-giving benefits provided, helping a total of 113,055 students.