Billy’s Place received a $17,500 Community Impact Grant from New York Life. The grant, announced Sept. 25, will support two initiatives: Improvements to Billy’s Place’s soon-to-open “home” and the launch of a new monthly grief education series for educators.

This nonprofit providing free grief support for kids, teens, and families, is located in northern Glendale, less than a block from the city's border with Peoria.

This fall, Billy’s Place will move into a new, larger facility, nearly doubling its program capacity. The grant will help fund enhancements to the new home to make it program-ready for kids. The new site will feature dedicated rooms for children, teens, and caregivers, an art space, a reading nook, a kitchen, outdoor areas, and staff offices — designed to foster healing in a safe, trauma-informed setting.

In addition, New York Life will sponsor Beyond the Hallpass, a virtual training series for school superheroes. This series helps create safe spaces for grieving students, and is launching this month.

This eight-month series will provide Arizona educators with practical tools to support grieving students, covering topics such as the impact of trauma on learning, cultural differences in grieving, and strategies for resilience and self-care.

“We are grateful for New York Life’s investment in these initiatives, which will change many lives for the better,” stated Madelyn Vincent, associate executive director of Billy’s Place, in a press release. “This support allows us to expand our impact in the community and equip educators to better serve grieving students.”

The Community Impact Grant program awards grants of up to $25,000 to local nonprofit organizations. Since 2008, more than 850 grants totaling more than $12 million have been awarded nationwide.

“We are pleased that our partnership will have a lasting impact on Billy’s Place and the families they serve.” stated Bruce Frank, Financial Advisor, at New York Life’s Scottsdale general office. 

Billy’s Place offers a variety of grief support services, including peer-to-peer support groups, grief-informed school trainings, a grief resource center, and community outreach. Thanks to the generous grant from New York Life, the organization can serve even more families in the community.

For information about Billy’s Place, the Grief-Informed Schools program, or how to get involved, visit its website.