MEET: Cortney, Alivia, and Ella
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
MEET: Cortney, Alivia, and Ella
Erin’s House Family
My daughters and I heard about Erin’s House back in 2018 when our neighbor died in a car accident. Her son was the same age as my youngest, Ella, and we wanted him to have a familiar face when he joined the program. We made sure to volunteer every night he was there by signing up as House Parents and serving pizza. A few years later, my eldest, Alivia, lost a friend to suicide and she knew exactly what to do and where to go. Erin’s House was her idea.
When Ella, 12, and Alivia, 16, joined Erin’s House programs, I immediately saw the difference it made in how they processed their grief. As I watched them grow through the experience, I could see that Erin’s House gave my daughters the tools and language to understand their grief in a healthy way. Through activities, group discussions, and gentle guidance from the facilitators, they learned that grief isn't something to “get over,” it's something to grow through. The program helped them see that healing doesn't mean forgetting.
For Alivia, connecting with teens her own age has also been one of the most meaningful parts of her healing journey. There's something incredibly powerful about realizing you're not alone and that other teens understand what it feels like to lose someone you love. The peer connections helped her open up in ways even family conversations couldn't help. It gave her a safe space to laugh, cry, and simply be with others who “get it.”
Over the years, I’ve seen the impact Erin’s House has had on my daughters in ways that resonate deeply with our whole family. As my daughter grows older and encounters new milestones like graduation, college, and a future career there will be moments when grief resurfaces. The tools we learned from our time at Erin's House gives me comfort knowing they will be able to communicate and connect with others. Those small lessons have turned our grief into gratitude, reminding us our love doesn't end just because someone is no longer physically here.
