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Inside WEX
Center for Grieving Children 30th Anniversary
One of our five core values as a company is to be a positive force in the world and in the communities where our employees live and work. One organization that exemplifies that mission is the Center for Grieving Children which provides peer support, outreach, and education to children and their families when there’s been a death or life-threatening illness.
We are proud to be the corporate sponsor for the Center’s 30th anniversary, and WEX CEO Melissa Smith recently hosted a Portland Regional Chamber event to recognize the organization. In her remarks, Smith noted that she’s had a long-time connection with the Center, and frequently hears from people about the profound impact its work has had on their children and families.
Melissa Smith emcees Kegs & Issues at Aura in Portland, Maine
When it was founded in 1987, the Center was one of only three such groups in the U.S. Today there are over 300 organizations that support children coping with loss, and the Center for Grieving Children remains the only full-service, year-round agency providing this kind of support in Maine. The Center serves more than 4,000 grieving children, teens, families, and young adults annually through peer support, outreach, and education, with volunteers contributing more than 26,000 hours last year.
Ann Heros, executive director of the Center since 2001, spoke at the event about her passion for the Center’s mission which started when her family faced the sudden death of her 10-year-old daughter. The people at the Center became family for Heros and her sons, she noted, and was a place where they met other parents and kids who were going through the same thing. “The Center is all about family and supporting the family, which is the center of the community,” said Heros.
Interested in learning more about the work of this great organization? View the video of Heros’ remarks at the 30th anniversary event on the Portland Regional Chamber’s Facebook page or visit the Center for Grieving Children online.