Robyn Merrill

I first came to The Center for Grieving Children in 1993 with my Mom and my brother. We came because my sister, Sam, died in a car accident when I was 16. She was 18, and my brother Judd, was 12.

When I think about what I’ve gained from The Center, there is so much for which I am thankful. A huge thing I gained from my experience there was a sense of not feeling like I was alone with my loss. Feeling as though there were people who understood the pain I was carrying was so important at that time.

At The Center, I learned that whatever I was feeling was okay and I felt safe expressing it. There was no set timeline for grief. The Center was unique in that way. Something else I love about The Center is the respect that children are treated with there. Their voices are given equal weight to those of adults, and I think that is rare.

I came back to The Center years later as an intern. For that year, I had the experience of doing all sorts of activities with The Center and I gained so much through the experience. I have stayed on as a volunteer since then because it is such a positive experience.

I feel like The Center really helped move me through the pain of my loss. I can now reflect and think of all the happiness that Sam brought to my life. It’s been sixteen years and I feel like I’m still gaining a lot through my whole experience at The Center. It’s a vitally important resource and support for people.