The Bloch Family Story
A Joel’s Place family shares their story and how Joel’s Place has helped their grief journey.
On-going peer-based grief support groups for children, teens and their caregivers.
Group participants share their experience and learn from the experiences of others. Age-appropriate discussions, craft projects, games, and books are selected to facilitate the expression of feelings. Sessions are confidential. What happens at Joel’s Place stays at Joel’s Place, unless we think safety is at risk.
Facilitators and hospitality host arrive for pre-meeting and pizza dinner prep.
Pizza dinner is served! Every family who attends receives a free pizza dinner.
Peer-based support groups start. Based on age, there is also a caregivers group.
Hospitality host helps organize leftover pizzas and clean up dinner supplies.
The adult support groups dismiss and families head home for the evening.
New families must submit intake paperwork and attend a new family interview with Joel’s Place for Children prior to attending their first evening of peer-based grief support groups for children, teens and their caregivers.
For the initial intake meeting, our program staff meets with families one-on-one to assess their needs. We schedule the intake meeting at Bay Presbyterian Church so you can see the space in which you will be meeting.
A Joel’s Place family shares their story and how Joel’s Place has helped their grief journey.
These trained, dedicated volunteer facilitators work with our children and teen grief support groups. We train volunteer facilitators to accompany children and teens on their grief journey. Joel’s Place is supported primarily by tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. We are supported in the community by organizations who donate space for our groups and by volunteers who donate everything.
“I have never felt so called to do something in my entire life. Thank you for fostering an environment that allows me to feel supported and comfortable using my skills to help these kids.”
“Joel’s Place is an amazing place run by amazing people. They’ve helped me deal with the loss of my friend. I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
“Joel’s Place is a safe place for my daughter to share her feelings. It has truly been a joy for my daughter to be in this program, not only for her grieving but also for her confidence.”
“I was introduced to Joel’s Place [when I was 13, after the death of my father]. Joel’s Place left a lasting imprint on my heart that will forever be there. As a child they taught me how to grieve through various mediums- from art, to journaling, to song and spoken words. The facilitators there gave me the space I needed to understand the immense feelings of grief, the up and down journey that comes along with it, and healing. I was able to honor my feelings, and thoughts while honoring the memory of my dad.”
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We named Joel’s Place for Children in honor and memory of Joel Willhite, husband of our co-founder Mary Willhite. Joel passed away from colon cancer on May 24, 1998, at age 51. Losing his father at 18 deeply impacted Joel throughout his life. Mary believes Joel would feel proud to know his name represents an organization that offers comfort to children and families facing similar challenges.
We serve school-aged children, ages 5–18. We also offer a group for the caregivers of children attending Joel’s Place. We group children by age and developmental stage to encourage strong peer support.
Call us at 216-202-4243 or email info@joelsplaceforchildren.org to request intake paperwork and schedule a meeting and tour. All new families complete an intake interview to ensure our program is the right fit. A child’s legal guardian must sign the intake paperwork.
Joel’s Place for Children operates independently and has no religious affiliation. We welcome families of all faiths and do not promote any religious or spiritual beliefs in our groups. Bay Presbyterian Church generously provides our space, but we are not a church-based organization.
Groups typically meet every other Tuesday during the school year. We take breaks over the summer and during the winter holidays.
Every July, we host our annual Butterfly Release, bringing together current and past Joel’s Place families to release living butterflies and enjoy brunch at the rose garden in Cahoon Park, Bay Village. By popular request from our kids, we’ve recently added a fun kickball game to the event!
Our grief support groups are free of charge.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we rely on the generosity of donors and limited grant funding. We do not receive support from major corporate sponsors.
Facilitators arrive at 5:15 pm for a pre-meeting to review the evening’s plans. Families arrive between 6:00–6:30 pm, and we serve a pizza dinner. Peer-based grief support groups run from 6:30–7:30 pm, with separate groups for children, teens, and caregivers based on age and development. After groups, families head home while facilitators meet briefly to wrap up the evening.
Children participate in age-appropriate activities that help them express emotions in a safe, supportive environment with peers who have experienced the death of someone special. Trained facilitators guide children through activities and discussions. Parents and caregivers meet separately for support.
Families eat dinner together, then break into separate groups. Parents and caregivers do not join the child’s group, but we offer adult groups at the same time to support them.
Our programs run year-round with open enrollment, so families can join at any time and attend as often as they’d like.
We strive to create an inclusive environment and support children with a variety of needs. While we may not have specialized training for all disabilities, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your child’s unique needs. We’ll work together to create the best possible experience.
We do not offer individual counseling. Instead, we provide peer-based group support. Our activities are therapeutic but not therapy. If you need referrals for individual counseling for yourself or your child, we can provide recommended resources.
We currently enroll only adults connected to children in our programs. We hope to expand in the future to support more populations, including adults without children in the program. If you’d like to help us grow, please reach out.
We always welcome volunteers to support our programs. Fill out a volunteer application on our website. Volunteers help with group facilitation, administrative tasks, and fundraising events. We are also accepting applications for our Board of Directors.
Visit our website to donate online. We also accept in-kind donations and offer various giving options. Every contribution helps us support children and families in need.
New families are welcome to attend our grief support groups any time at Joel’s Place. Contact us, share your story, and join us.