Ele's Place

Mission: To create awareness of and support for grieving children, teens and their families.

Ele’s Place is a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring no child grieves alone. Ele’s Place Ann Arbor is the only nonprofit in our community and the surrounding southeast Michigan area dedicated solely to helping children and teens work with and through grief.

Ele’s Place Ann Arbor was established in 2007 by offering one night of weekly programming. In 2019, after opening the doors to our new dedicated healing center – A Home for Healing Hearts – we expanded our services to four nights, serving an average of 160 grieving children, teens, and their families each week. The need for our services is critical – in Washtenaw County alone, 4,500 children and teens could potentially benefit from the services of Ele’s Place.

Ele’s Place Ann Arbor serves grieving families from 10 Michigan counties, including: Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne. More than half of the families we serve are from Washtenaw County.

We provide free support groups, guided by trained facilitators, to help children and families navigate their grief journey. Groups are offered at no cost to the families. Through peer-based support, we create a safe space for children and teens to express their emotions, find connection, and heal alongside others who have experienced loss. Our programs foster resilience, emotional well-being, and hope for the future.

Age groups typically include Preschool/Kindergarten, Early Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School and High School. Groups allow children to realize they are not alone in this process by connecting with individuals their age, and are led by trained volunteers with oversight from clinical staff.

Support groups for the child’s/teen’s parent(s) or guardian(s) are also available in-person, and are facilitated by Licensed Clinicians. It’s important to be able to support adults in their grief, so they can be more present with their child’s/teen’s grief.