Throughout our history, every step has been guided by a commitment to healing and community. From our humble beginnings to the milestones that highlight our purpose, we’ve built a legacy of compassion and empowerment. 

Ele’s Place was founded in 1991 by a group of mental health professionals, concerned community volunteers and grieving parents, Betsy and Woody Stover. Following the death of their daughter, Helen Louise Snow Stover, known as Ele, at 11 months old, the Stovers saw that their three children ages 3-7 were grieving the death of their sister, but not in the same way they were as adults. Following a great deal of research of other children’s grief centers across the country, it was determined that peer support for the grieving Stover children as well as kids and teens who had experienced the death of someone close to them, was the best way to learn to cope with their feelings of grief, sadness, anger, and loss.
Nearly 30 years later, following humble beginnings in the basement of a church, Ele’s Place now serves even more communities and seeks to serve even more grieving children and their families as we continue to forward our mission.