This November, in recognition of Children & Teens Grief Awareness Month, Billy’s Place announced the launch of its annual #bethere awareness campaign.

This year, Billy’s Place is reaching an unprecedented scale with 26 school districts and 201 schools across Arizona pledging to #bethere for grieving students.

Billy’s Place is a nonprofit based in Glendale, providing peer support, education, and resources for children, teens and families navigating loss

Every day in classrooms across the state, children and teens navigate the complex terrain of loss, often in silence. Through the #bethere campaign, Billy’s Place invites school communities to bring grief out of the shadows and build cultures of understanding, connection, and hope.

Schools participating in the #bethere campaign receive a comprehensive toolkit of awareness materials, social media content, and on-campus activity support, all designed to remind students that grief is real, their feelings matter, and they are not alone. Thanks to a grant from Desert Financial Credit Union, these kits are offered at no cost to participating schools.

Each toolkit includes #bethere t-shirts, posters, lanyards, stickers, and bags, along with resources that help educators say the right thing, show up with compassion, and guide grieving students toward safe, supportive spaces. When a kiddo sees a trusted adult wearing a #bethere shirt, they know: someone cares, and help is here.

“When grief walks into a classroom, a caring adult can make all the difference,” stated Karina Haholy, School Bereavement Liaison at Billy’s Place, in a press release. “By engaging hundreds of schools statewide, our #bethere campaign shows students they’re not alone, their grief is seen, their voice matters, and healing is possible.”

Schools have responded in increasing numbers.

The campaign has grown from just two participating districts in 2022 to 19 in 2024, Haholy stated.

This year’s participation of 26 districts and 201 schools marks a significant milestone.

“By partnering with schools, we create whole-school cultures of compassion and readiness,” Haholy added. “We hope that every teacher, counselor, and staff member becomes someone a grieving child can say, ‘You were there for me.’"

Billy’s  Place recently launched  BEYOND THE HALLPASS, a virtual training series for school superheroes, no couch required.  This series helps create safe spaces for grieving students, launching this month.

This eight-month series provided 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. Registration for future training series is available on the website.