Good Grief Center

Contact: Lynn Seay or Kelley Denny, prwerks, +1 412.784.1719, www.goodgriefcenter.com

The Good Grief Center is Pittsburgh's First and Only Comprehensive Center for Bereavement Support

Grief affects everyone at some, and often many, points in their life.  Whether a student at a local school, a co-worker, three city policemen or your own parent - no matter what the connection, we are all touched by multiple deaths each year. Since 2001, The Good Grief Center has provided its services free of charge to more than 20,000 people in the Pittsburgh region and just in the past year over 120,000 worldwide through its website www.goodgriefcenter.com. GGC listens and reacts to the needs of the community, both locally and nationally, and has drawn the support of generous donors as well as volunteers who have donated over 13,000 hours of their time.

In June, 2008, GGC relocated to a new 3,200 square foot facility in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, enabling it to meet a growing demand for its services.  Since that time, GGC has increased its client base by 65% and added new programs to meet the needs of the community.  During the first year in its new facility, GGC:

• Increased the number attending its various support groups by 106%;
• Increased the number of visits by 66%;
• Increased the volume of incoming calls by 85%
• Increased the number of new clients by 46%.

This significant increase reinforces GGC's founding belief that its free grief support services fill a critical void in social services in the Pittsburgh community and their vision of becoming the go-to resource for bereavement support has quickly become a reality. 

GGC services include individual peer support both in person and over the phone, onsite Support Groups for individuals and families, an extensive lending library open to the public and to the many professionals who work with grieving individuals as well as a comprehensive data base of other support services and therapists specializing in grief.

GGC social enterprise programs include The Good Grief Care Package,a thoughtful alternative to food or flower arrangements that goes far beyond traditional sympathy cards or gifts; Compassionate Connections,a membership program for businesses such as funeral homes, hospitals, hospices, long-term care facilities and medical practitioners who come into immediate contact with newly bereaved families; and Grief in the Workplace, the only fully comprehensive bereavement support system in the Greater Pittsburgh region. It offers both proactive and reactive products and services to organizations and their employees.