Over 60 guests and volunteers turned out Thursday evening February 11th, despite the frigid cold, for the Public Kickoff of Imagine’s Campaign for Sustainability and New Space, a $3.5 Million 3 year campaign. The event was held at 1154 Rt. 22 West in Mountainside one of the possible new locations for Imagine’s future dedicated space of its own.
In attendance were Marilyn and Lou Stiglitz who have made a three-year pledge to Imagine in memory of their daughter Susan Lang who died of leukemia at age 14. “I feel it is a wonderful place for young people to express themselves. It gives them a place to belong and to heal after losing a loved one in their family,” said Mrs. Stiglitz about her pledge of support. “In my own case in losing my daughter, it would have been wonderful to have a safe haven for my son to have friends with whom he could relate some of his feelings of loss.”
“We are so grateful to the Stiglitz for their extraordinary gift and pledge of support. The Opening Circle Room at Imagine will be named after Susan Lang. This is one of the most sacred spaces at Imagine and is where all of the families meet on each Night of Support for pizza supper and the important Opening Circle Ritual. It is also where all the families gather at the end of the evening for the closing circle ritual. This incredible donation, our first Naming Gift, comes at critical time in our organization’s growth. Imagine currently serves over 200 children and adults every two weeks in its peer support groups for children coping with loss due to death at our current location at First United Methodist Church in Westfield. As it became apparent we would out grow our space within the year, last year Imagine’s Board of Trustees launched the silent phase of our Campaign for Sustainability and a Space of Our Own” said Mary Robinson, Imagine Founder and Executive Director. “In order to be able to serve more families and keep up with the need for grief support we knew we would need to find a new location.”
“First United Methodist Church has been our home for three and a half years and we have been incredibly fortunate to have been able to launch our program there, right in the heart of Westfield, said Stuart Arnold, Imagine Board Chair. Imagine was launched in 2011 with an initial grant from Dr. Gerry Glasser through the The Glasser Foundation, whose vision it was to make grief support available and accessible to the children and families in his beloved town of Westfield and all surrounding communities. The Foundation has continued to provide extraordinarily generous annual support to Imagine, which has been instrumental in our ability to grow and thrive. “As we get ready to move to a new space dedicated to serving grieving children and families, we invite everyone’s participation and encourage you to contact Imagine to find out how you can help.” Imagine is a free year-round peer grief support center located in Westfield, NJ and serving all of Union County and beyond. Imagine serves children age 3-18 who has had a parent or sibling die, with concurrent support groups for their parents or guardians. Support for children and teens living with a parent or sibling with a life-altering physical illness are also available through the Imagine Tender Living Care program. Free yearround support groups are also available for adults 18 and up who have had a friend, sibling, parent or other important person in their life die, or who have a parent, sibling or friend living with an illness. For support or for more information visit their website at www.imaginenj.org or contact info@imaginenj.org or 908-264-3100.
(above, l-r) Stuart Arnold, board chairman; Mary Robinson Executive Director,; Connie Palmer Clinical and Training Instruction; Mandi Zucker, Amanda Hayden, Development and Operations Associate.
