After experiencing the devastating effects of her 14-year-old son Michael’s death in 1984, Peggy Bohme, co-founder of The WARM Place, reached out to her nine-year-old daughter’s pediatrician in search of a place where Meghan could grapple with her own feelings of loss and receive additional emotional support. Her pediatrician, Dr. John Richardson, explained how such a place did not exist in Fort Worth, and thus the two joined forces to help not only her daughter, but also grieving families all over the city. On August 24, 1989, their dream was actualized when The WARM (What About Remembering Me Center, Inc.) Place invited eight families into their facility, officially creating the first children’s grief center in Tarrant County.
Since its inception, The WARM place has opened its doors to more than 35,000 children and their families. Throughout its years, one thing has never changed: Its mission will always be “to offer grief support to children and their families at no cost to them; champion them through their grief process; and love, support, and encourage them in their feelings.”
Services
The WARM place provides, “year-round grief support services to children ages three and a half to 18 and their families, as well as young adults ages 19 to 25 who have experienced the death of a mother, father, sister, brother, or other loved one.” Its services include:
- Evening Grief Support Groups – Seven ongoing groups for school-age children (kindergarten – third grade), preteens (fourth – eighth grade), teens (ninth – 12th grade), and their parents and guardians who meet every other week. Each weeknight is designated for a different group based upon the type of relationship loss: sibling, parent, or grandparent and extended family.
- Monthly Grief Support Group – Unlike the evening grief support groups, the monthly group includes all types of relationship losses and meets only once per month. This group allows us to provide immediate support for children and families waiting for an opening in the bi-weekly groups.
- Preschool Group – The Preschool Group, ages three and a half to five, is offered for eight weeks in the spring and fall.
- Young Adults Group – The Young Adults Group, ages 19 – 25, is offered for eight weeks in the spring and fall, and six weeks in the summer.
Becoming a Part of The WARM Place
To request these services, a child must have experienced the death loss of a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or other relative, close friend, or classmate. Follow these steps to become a family of the warm place:
The legal guardian of the child/children contacts The WARM Place.
- Call any time after the death loss to schedule an intake/interview appointment.
- Families can call any time during office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) if they need to talk to someone.
The family comes to The WARM Place for an intake.
- The intake/interview is during the day and lasts about one and a half to two hours.
- All family members including children and legal guardian(s) must be present at the intake.
The Objective of the intake
- The family can share their death loss experience.
- The tour of the facility alleviates possible fears of coming to The WARM Place.
- The intake is conducted by a counselor. Time is spent with adult(s) and children separately.
- The family is assigned a group night based on who has died in the child’s life.
Get Involved
Because The WARM Place does not charge a single family for its support services, they rely heavily on contributions by people like YOU! Please consider the following in your decision to make a gift.
- $50 provides one night of grief support.
- $125 provides one month of grief support.
- $1,500 provides one year of grief support.
To make a donation to The WARM Place click here, or to find out more Ways to Give to The WARM Place follow this link! Volunteer facilitator training is offered twice a year and it accepts new houseparent volunteers year round (no training is required.) To apply to be a volunteer just fill out the application here!
Upcoming Events
The WARM Place has two great events coming up! On April 16, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., the 4th Annual Walk 2 Remember Them will be held. This one mile fun run/walk will begin and end at The WARM Place, with a celebration in its backyard! Each participant will receive a 4×6 memory holder that will hold a photo of his or her loved one to wear during the walk. Only pre-registered participants are guaranteed a shirt. Pre-registration ends March 31.
Its second event, the annual fundraiser and signature event, A Cool Night, will be held on September 24, 2016 from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. This party with a purpose includes a delicious dinner, live music, a silent auction, and a live auction! Sponsorship starts at $500 and individual tickets are only $125! Click here for more information and to purchase a sponsorships.
