The GriefCare Place

What The GriefCare Place does

The GriefCare Place is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in June 1997 by Lou-Ann Redmon in Stow, Ohio, that provides free grief education and peer support groups for individuals grieving the death of a loved one. It operates from a single home-like, non-denominational faith-based facility at 4499 Darrow Road, Stow, OH, and currently serves 64 communities in Northeast Ohio with the support of 75+ trained volunteers and 3 paid staff (Executive Director Kathleen Kazmer, Office Administrator Susan Dyett, and a Founding Director role). The organization has served thousands of grievers across all age groups since inception.

The core offering is a portfolio of in-person, facilitator-led support groups segmented by loss type and life stage, including Until Healing Comes (foundational adult grief), Finding Our Footing (second-year grief), Widowed Women, Widowed Men, Bereaved Parents, Other Adult Losses, and the temporarily suspended After Suicide group, alongside child and teen programs (In This Together for ages 6–12, Teen Time, and Kids' Camp). Supplementary services include a Resource Library, a Speakers' Bureau for community outreach, and a Volunteer Program. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; delivery is human-led and place-based, complemented by a content website (thegriefcareplace.org), downloadable events calendars, and participant testimonials. Memorial products — Memorial Bricks ($100), Memorial Life Tree Leaves ($75–$85), and Memorial Board Plates ($50) — and an in-development Healing Garden provide tangible tribute offerings.

The business model is donation-funded rather than fee-based: all support group services are provided at no cost with no pre-registration and no time limitations for participation. Funding comes from fundraising events, individual donations, memorial gifts, and grants from The Hudson Community Foundation and The Ridgecliff Foundation. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on referrals from churches, social agencies, schools, extended care facilities, hospices, nursing and psychology students, and word-of-mouth testimonials, with an active Board of Trustees providing governance and clinical advisory support.

Name

The GriefCare Place

Legal name

The GriefCare Place

Website

https://thegriefcareplace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The GriefCare Place is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1997 in Stow, Ohio, that provides free, in-person grief education and peer support groups to bereaved children, teens, and adults across 64 Northeast Ohio communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bereavement Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

Keywords

• Grief support services
• Bereavement counseling
• Peer support groups
• Memorial programs
• Non-profit community services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memorial Gifts: The GriefCare Place charges no fees and is funded entirely by fundraising events, donations, and memorial gifts. All donations are tax-deductible under IRS section 501(c)(3).
2. Foundation Grants: Programs are supported in part by grants from The Hudson Community Foundation and The Ridgecliff Foundation.
3. Memorial Products: Memorial bricks ($100), Memorial Life Tree Leaves ($75-$85), and Memorial Board Plates ($50) provide tangible memorial opportunities that generate revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The GriefCare Place provides free, in-person peer grief support groups and bereavement education for adults, children, and teens who have experienced the death of a loved one. Programs are delivered through trained volunteer facilitators at its Stow, Ohio facility across multiple loss-specific groups, with no fees, no pre-registration, and no time limits. It also offers memorial tributes (Healing Garden, Memorial Life Tree, Memorial Board) and educational outreach through a Speakers' Bureau.

Product overview

The GriefCare Place is a non-profit grief support organization offering a portfolio of peer-support programs and memorial services. The core offering consists of in-person support groups led by trained facilitators, including foundational groups (Until Healing Comes, Finding Our Footing), condition-specific groups (Widowed Women/Men, Bereaved Parents, After Suicide, Other Adult Losses), and child-focused programming (In This Together, Kids' Camp). These are complemented by supplementary services such as a Resource Library, Speakers' Bureau, and Volunteer Program. The organization also offers memorial products including the Healing Garden, Memorial Life Tree, and Memorial Board for families seeking lasting tributes. All support group services are provided at no cost to participants, with the organization operating as a 501(c)(3) charity funded by donations and fundraising events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Until Healing Comes Foundational open-ended adult support group for adults who have experienced any relational death; provides education about normal, natural, and necessary grief under trained volunteer facilitators. Meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:00 pm at the Stow, Ohio facility. No pre-registration or fee required.
• Finding Our Footing Support group for grievers in at least their second year of grief; focuses on integrating loss into life toward reaching new purpose and full life. Prerequisite: must have attended 3+ months of other GriefCare Place support groups. Meets on the 4th Thursday at 7:00 pm.
• Widowed Women Support group for women of any age who have experienced the death of a spouse. Meets on the 3rd Wednesday at both 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm at the Stow, Ohio facility.
• Widowed Men Support group for men of any age who have experienced the death of a spouse. Meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays at 7:00 pm at the Stow, Ohio facility.
• Bereaved Parents Support group for parents who have experienced the death of a child of any age. Meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7:00 pm at the Stow, Ohio facility.
• Other Adult Losses Support group for adults grieving the death of a parent, sibling, friend, or relative other than a spouse or child. Meets on the 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 pm at the Stow, Ohio facility.
• After Suicide Support group for adults who have experienced the death of a loved one through completed suicide. Currently temporarily suspended.
• In This Together Support group for children 6 to 12 years of age; gently led in understanding death and grief by a professional clinician. Provided at no cost to grieving families.
• Kids' Camp Camp program for grieving children providing peer support and education about grief. Offered as part of The GriefCare Place's bereavement programming for youth.
• Helpful Hints for Holiday Hurts Specialized program helping grievers cope with the challenges of holidays after loss. Offered as part of The GriefCare Place's bereavement education programming.
• Speakers' Bureau Educational outreach program providing presentations to schools, churches, and community organizations on grief and bereavement topics.
• Healing Garden Outdoor memorial garden for creating lasting legacies honoring loved ones. Memorial Bricks are available for purchase at $100.00 each to inscribe a tribute within the garden, which was designed and developed in partnership with the Rotary Club of Stow/Munroe Falls.
• Memorial Life Tree Memorial mural with available leaves in two sizes priced at $75.00 and $85.00 to celebrate and honor loved ones.
• Memorial Board Memorial board with personalized nameplates priced at $50.00 honoring loved ones who have been memorialized at The GriefCare Place.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served thousands of grievers from 64 communities since 1997
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rotary Club of Stow/Munroe FallscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignated as a 'Caring Partner' who designed and will develop the Healing Garden at The GriefCare Place facility. The garden provides a peaceful outdoor memorial space for grievers.
• JumpStart Video Production CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProduced The GriefCare Place Overview Video, providing multimedia marketing support for the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GriefShare: National faith-based grief support network running peer-led support groups at thousands of host churches. Directly comparable to The GriefCare Place as a community-based, volunteer-facilitated grief support program with similar curriculum structure, though operating through a church-host model rather than a single facility.
• The Compassionate Friends: National nonprofit providing peer support for families grieving the death of a child. Directly comparable through its bereaved-parents support group model, local chapter structure, and volunteer-led facilitation - overlapping with The GriefCare Place's Bereaved Parents group.

Emerging players

• Modern Loss: Online media and community platform for grief support targeting younger demographics. Comparable as a bereavement support resource, though delivered digitally rather than in-person, representing the emerging digital alternative to traditional in-person grief groups.
• What's Your Grief: Online grief education and support community founded by mental health professionals. Comparable through its educational and peer-support content focus, though operates via digital content and online courses rather than facilitated in-person groups.

Regional players

• Hospice of the Western Reserve: Large regional hospice in Northeast Ohio that provides mandated bereavement services to hospice families and the broader community. Comparable as a Northeast Ohio bereavement support provider, though embedded within a hospice clinical operation rather than a stand-alone nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Crossroads Hospice: National hospice provider offering bereavement support programs to families of patients and the wider community. Comparable as a bereavement services provider, though delivered as a complement to hospice clinical care rather than as a stand-alone grief support organization.
• AARP Widowed Persons Service: National AARP-affiliated program offering peer support groups for newly widowed individuals. Comparable through its widow-specific peer support model; serves as a broader, more established incumbent in the widow/grief support space.
• HopeHealth: Regional hospice and palliative care organization offering community bereavement support including individual counseling and group programs. Comparable through bereavement programming for grieving adults and children, though bundled within a clinical hospice/palliative provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-griefcare-place

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The GriefCare Place