OUR MISSION
Toward a culture of compassion and empathy
in our schools and communities.
Unaddressed grief puts children at increased risk of developmental delays, poor school performance, anxiety, aggression, addiction, depression, suicidal ideation, diabetes, and more. While we cannot eliminate trauma, we can help kids grieve and grow after loss. We can create a culture of caring, compassion, and healing. We can educate teachers about grief. We can build resilience.
aboutus
Mary Curley, Founder & Program Director
mary@gale-us.org Cell 973-204-5609 Office 203-438-6538
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Our Founder and Program Director:
Telling someone “my mom died when I was eight” has always been a real conversation stopper. Grief is a universal human experience, yet we don’t talk about it—it’s the elephant in the room. After her death, no one spoke of my mom, they didn’t have the words. And the unspoken message was, that I should not talk about her.
I worked as a structural engineer earlier in my life - then, after having my two daughters, I developed a passion for bringing science, math, and engineering alive for kids. As my girls got older, I was moved to tears each time I learned of the untimely death of a parent in their school. A mom myself, I saw the need for grief support and started a peer support group for grieving children and teenagers in Stamford, CT.
I also recognized a need for grief education in schools, a need to create a culture of compassion and empathy. Kids in school, sitting beside their grieving classmates, were uncomfortable and ill-equipped to help and support their friends who were hurting. I know what it’s like to grieve alone as a child, and I want to make that journey less painful, less lonely, and more hopeful for grieving children.
"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break."
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William Shakespeare
CONTACT GRIEF AND LOSS EDUCATION
St Mary Parish, 55 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877
(973) 204-5609
HOW WE HELP
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our GALE program is offered free-of-charge to schools and community organizations in Connecticut and New York. Designed for students K-12, our workshop complements the social and emotional education already provided in school. Developing empathy, and learning how to cope with adversity, are vital for healthy development.
Interactive Workshop
• explores ways to help students talk about grief—their own or the grief of someone close to them—in ways that are not scary, and
• normalizes grief, and gives students the language and tools to reach out to their friends who are hurting.