❤ KaDerrick Robinson – STAFF-BEREAVEMENT COORDINATOR ❤ (2 of 2)

“I have been a Bereavement Coordinator at Ele’s Place Ann Arbor for about seven months now, and it is by far the best experience I’ve ever had. As a Bereavement Coordinator, I get to watch a family transition through the Ele’s Place healing process. It always makes me happy when I hear from adults that their children/teens don’t want to leave, or that they always look forward to coming to Ele’s Place Ann Arbor. I love watching the children and teens leave their peer groups excited to show their adult what they made during group.

“As a Bereavement Coordinator, I also get to work with the volunteer support group facilitators. I love watching the children and teens interact with their peers and their facilitators. It lets me know that the children and teens are being heard in their peer groups, and that they recognize their facilitator is someone they can go to for support while they are at Ele’s Place Ann Arbor.

“Being a Bereavement Coordinator has helped me see how much of an impact a healing center can have on grieving children, teens and families. I am often reminded about my grief journey as I provide support to families as they go through their own journey. It fills my heart to know that at Ele’s Place Ann Arbor, children, teens, and families can start the healing process together, and they don’t have to do it alone. I wish every community had a place like Ele’s Place Ann Arbor.” ❤

❤ KaDerrick Robinson – STAFF-BEREAVEMENT COORDINATOR ❤ (1 of 2)

“My mother was my best friend. I don’t think I could ever tell my story without mentioning her. She is actually one of the main reasons I became a social worker. In 2001, she was diagnosed with Lupus, but I did not learn this until five years later. It was amazing, and also disheartening, to watch her raise my brother and I as a single mother while dealing with Lupus. I watched her go to school for social work. I also watched her be taken away in an ambulance after she had just returned from the hospital days before.

“Through all of her successes and pains, she always had the biggest smile on her face. No matter what she was going through, she always wanted to help someone. After a long battle with Lupus, my mother died on October 9, 2012 – three weeks before my 19th birthday. I thought that I would be okay because I knew that she did not have to deal with Lupus anymore, but my grief was too heavy. I didn’t know much about grief at the time so my anxiety was constantly high and I was so confused about what was happening to me.

“Unfortunately, I would’ve been too old to attend groups at Ele’s Place when my mother died. However, I feel that if I had a healing center like Ele’s Place Ann Arbor, I wouldn’t have felt so alone and confused. I would’ve learned that there were other teens in my community that felt how I felt and could relate to what I was going through.

“Fortunately, I learned about Ele’s Place Capital Region while I attended Michigan State University and decided to become a volunteer support group facilitator there. It was a very heartwarming experience as a group facilitator. It also helped me with my own grief, and a few years later brought me to Ele’s Place Ann Arbor as a staff member.” ❤