Blue Ridge Care Receives New York Life Foundation Grant to Expand School-Based Grief Support for Youth

Winchester, VA—Blue Ridge Care has received a grant from the New York Life Foundation to expand access to grief support for children and teens through its Adventures Through Grief School Expansion Program, helping more young people navigate death and build resilience in school and community settings.

Supported by the philanthropic investment of the New York Life Foundation, the initiative will enhance Blue Ridge Care’s Adventures Through Grief (ATG) program, a youth bereavement model using table-top role play that provides students with a safe space to process grief, connect with peers, and develop healthy coping skills. “One unique aspect of this program is that it supports not only grieving students, but also peers who want to better support friends experiencing death of a loved one,” remarked Tina Thomas, LCSW/MS, Children & Families Grief Support Coordinator for Blue Ridge Care.

The grant will support the development of a school-based ATG curriculum for students in grades 6 through 12, training for school-based facilitators, implementation of student support groups, and the creation of tools that help schools identify and support grieving students. The initiative also supported the launch of Camp Erin® West Virginia, expanding access to bereavement services for children and families in the region including West Virginia.

“Far too many children experience grief without the support and resources they need to navigate it,” said Jason Parsons, President and CEO of Blue Ridge Care. “We are grateful to the New York Life Foundation for its commitment to helping children and families facing death of a significant person in their life. This partnership will allow us to reach more young people with meaningful support at a critical time in their lives.”

Grief can have an intense impact on a child’s emotional wellbeing, relationships, school attendance, and academic success. Through Adventures Through Grief, students gain practical coping strategies, opportunities for peer connection, and the reassurance that they are not alone in their grief journey.

“A child’s grief journey lasts far beyond the death of a significant person in their life, often shaping their life in profound ways. By providing evidence-based grief support in the comfort and familiarity of their own school, Blue Ridge Care creates a safe space where children feel seen, understood, and supported,” said Tara Hoit, Chief Mission Officer, for Blue Ridge Care. “Our trauma-informed grief counselors are helping schools become grief-sensitive communities while setting best-practice standards in childhood bereavement care, a model increasingly recognized by national leaders such as the New York Life Foundation.”

Over the next two years, Blue Ridge Care will partner with schools across the region to strengthen support systems for grieving students while developing resources that can help other communities replicate the model.

Blue Ridge Care’s grief support services are available to anyone in the community within its 3,000-square mile service area, regardless of whether their loved one received care through the organization. Programs include support groups, children’s grief services, educational workshops, community outreach, and specialized bereavement support for families.

About the New York Life Foundation

Inspired by New York Life’s longstanding tradition of service, the New York Life Foundation invests in programs that support educational opportunities, childhood bereavement services, and community well-being nationwide. The Foundation is recognized as a leading supporter of programs serving grieving children and families across the United States.