MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ — As a new program year starts at Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, the staff at Imagine want to share gratitude to the amazing team of people who provided support this summer as they worked to ensure that the spaces where their grief support groups meet are comfortable for participants to gather and share their stories with one another.
So many wonderful people and organizations helped make it possible for Imagine to bring in new furnishings, lamps, carpets and tables to both of their centers in Newark and Mountainside. A generous grant from the Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Foundation provided the necessary funds to purchase the items needed.
Imagine’s executive director, Lindsay Schambach, said this about the grant: “We are so grateful for our partners who understand and embrace our vision of ensuring our families feel seen and valued the moment they walk through our doors. The generosity of this gift allowed Imagine to create support group rooms where our participants feel they are cared for and safe here. We would not have been able to make these improvements without the team at the Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Foundation.”
Imagine staff were in need of assistance planning the layout of furniture for each of the support group rooms, and that’s where Amy Yin of Amy Yin Interiors provided her expertise drawing out plans for each support group room and providing guidance for the furniture purchases that would meet the needs of our families. Yin’s skills and expertise made it possible for Imagine staff to create warm and inviting spaces for their participants.
Once the new furnishings had arrived at Imagine’s center, there was a great deal of work to be done assembling furniture, removing old furniture and setting up each support group room to be a safe and supportive space for Imagine’s participants. Employees from Wiss & Company came to help prepare Imagine’s Newark center, spending a full day working hard to prepare the center for the new program year. Wiss has been partnering with Imagine, thanks to board member, Diana Miller. This agency offers a full spectrum of accounting, advisory and wealth services.
At Imagine’s Mountainside center, Komar, an apparel manufacturing company in Jersey City sent a large group of staff, including Komar’s chief marketing officer, David Komar, to spend a day setting up the eight support group rooms in this location where support groups meet regularly throughout the program year. The team at Komar transformed the support group rooms through their tireless effort assembling tables and chairs and adding their designer touches. So many helpers made it possible to accomplish so much on each of these “refresh days” and Imagine’s staff and families are so grateful for the transformation.
From the big to the little, in addition to these supporters, Garwood Wash and Fold took care of all the small details that matter. They washed all the throw pillows and blankets that Imagine participants use for comfort. They also washed dress-up costumes that are utilized for play and talent shows in group rooms each night.
The final touch to Imagine’s refreshed spaces were new murals painted by Natalie Cox Crandall. Imagine’s children helped design the murals they wanted in their support group rooms and Crandall, alongside Imagine participants, painted the walls to make their hopes come alive with her artwork.
There’s an African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child.” The staff at Imagine are so grateful for the village of supporters helping them create welcoming and safe spaces to support so many children and families who are coping with loss. Imagine welcomes all readers to come for a tour of the beautiful facilities.
Interested parties can visit the website or call to arrange a visit to the space to see the impact of this community of volunteers in support of grieving families across our state.
Photos Courtesy of Valerie Stierhoff