After the death of her parents, Linda Hollis experienced firsthand how profound grief can be – and how critical it is to have support.

This experience, combined with her background in gerontology and psychology, led her to become a grief support group facilitator and volunteer for TMC Hospice at Home & Peppi’s House.

“Facilitating these groups and volunteering at Peppi’s House has shown me the quiet strength of community in grief and I want to continue to be part of that circle for others,” she said.

TMC Hospice hosts in-person grief support groups – led by qualified, specialty trained hospice volunteers - every week for people who are in the first year of their loss. These groups offer a safe, caring space where people can talk about the death of a loved one without feeling judged.

“Grief can feel deeply isolating and these groups honor each person’s unique journey by fostering connection and understanding,” Hollis said. “It’s not about ‘fixing’ grief, but about having a safe place to feel it, share it and be surrounded by others who truly understand.”

For participants, the group becomes a respite of sorts, its facilitators - angels.

“I must confess, over the past weeks, since my wife passed away, I have checked you volunteers out very carefully,” wrote David, a former participant. “You see, I am convinced that you really are angels…I was trying to figure out where you hid your angel wings. But I couldn’t find any. It finally came to me that you are a different kind of angel. It’s your heart that sets you apart from the rest of the world. You have taken me from a sad hulk of the person I once was to being part of society again.”

The hope is that after a year, participants have forged relationships with each other that go beyond group meetings, that they have created their own community of people to rely on for support when they need it.

“You don’t want them to feel stuck in their grief,” said Krista Durocher, volunteer coordinator, TMC Hospice at Home & Peppi’s House. “What’s beautiful is you see them come in and they don’t feel like they can talk, but then when they get more comfortable, they begin to open up and connect with others. They grow fellowship with each other and lean on one another."