The Tidewell Foundation has made a $1.1 million capital grant to Tidewell Hospice for the creation of the new Tidewell Family Grief Center in Ellenton, a first-of-its-kind facility in our region that will provide holistic grief support for individuals, families and the community. The foundation is currently fundraising to complete the center’s outdoor interactive activity area, a multi-purpose green space including a labyrinth, basketball court, butterfly gardens and other features.

The Tidewell Family Grief Center will be housed in Tidewell’s former Ellenton Hospice House, transforming it into a dedicated space facilitating the expansion of Tidewell’s grief services. The Ellenton location will serve as a pilot for future Tidewell Family Grief Centers across the region. Tidewell Family Grief Center clients will have access to opportunities to meet their own grief needs, whether through one-on-one sessions, groups, art therapy, meditation or alternative therapies. The center will also create space for a new expansion of Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly program, the region’s only evidence-based grief program for children ages 5-18 and families who have experienced the loss of a parent, sibling or another significant person in their lives. Tidewell Hospice currently serves approximately 8,000 clients a year.

Tidewell Hospice plans to open the Tidewell Family Grief Center’s doors in August 2021, with the start of the 2021-2022 school year.