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The Rotary Club of Sun City welcomed Kris Friedman from Billy’s Place to their noon meeting at the Royal Oaks Lifecare Community club room.
Friedman is the executive director of Billy’s Place, one of the many local charities the Rotary Club of Sun City supports with annual grants. Billy’s Place is a safe community for children and families experiencing grief from the loss of loved ones. Billy’s Place provides support groups for people of all ages to come together in a casual atmosphere to share their stories.
Billy’s Place groups are tailored to families, with unique spaces for people who have lost a special person. There are groups for children who have lost a sibling, parent or significant person in their lives, Young adult groups, adult men and women’s groups, a children-only kicking back night and a traumatic loss group, which are those who have lost a loved one due to suicide, drug overdose or homicide. There is no cost to participants.
Billy’s Place, founded by Friedman’s sister-in-law, Juli McGreal, began after she lost her husband, Mike, when Billy was only 15 months old and their lives were changed forever. In 2012, after seeing a huge need in the northwest Valley for children’s grief support, McGreal and Friedman started Billy’s Place to fill that void. Now, Billy is a freshman in college.
In 2022, Billy’s Place directly served more than 460 families and an additional 5,270 served through community and remembrance events. This is the only organization in the northwest Valley to embrace children who have lost a parent or sibling.
Besides serving families at the center, Billy’s Place expanded its services out to the community by working with local school districts. This was highlighted in November during Children and Teens’ Grief Awareness Month. Facilitators reached thousands of students through a #bethere campaign by distributing posters, T-shirts and wrist bands with the message about how to #bethere for their grieving friends. Their next event will be the annual Hike for Hope, which occurs Saturday, April 1. Visit billysplace.me.
The Rotary Club of Sun City supports Billy’s Place through its fundraising efforts, such as the annual community spaghetti dinner, which takes place 4:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 14 at the Royal Oaks Auditorium, 10015 W. Royal Oak Road, Sun City. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at the door.
Proceeds will support local charitable organizations such as Washington High School Interact Club, Challenger K-8 School, Billy’s Place, Valley View Food Bank, and the Sun City Prides.
