Childrens Grief Center of New Mexico, Inc.
Serving Bereaved Children & Adults Since 2001
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
New Mexico kids experience the death of a parent and/or sibling at a higher rate than the national avg. NM is 2nd in the nation, which means that 50,000+ young people will experience this significant loss before adulthood. The number goes up to 121,000+ young people when we consider those up to age 25. Negative outcomes are highly associated with bereavement. Unaddressed grief is implicated as a factor in many behavioral & physical diagnoses, such as depression & recurring illness. Youth who don't get proper support are often more vulnerable and likely turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. “Failure to support grieving kids can contribute to significant community problems including: academic performance; truancy; increased dropout rates; illegal behaviors; and mental health treatment” (Judi’s House, 2020). CGC programs provide support (at no cost) to children as well as their adult caregivers.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Family Bereavement Support
The Grief Center offers facilitated peer support groups for young people ages 5 - 25, their caregivers and adults. Additionally, we offer special programs and workshops throughout the year to serve the needs of grieving youth, families and adults throughout New Mexico. All services are provided at no cost.
Where we work
Awards
Distinguished Contribution to New Mexico Families Award 2008
The New Mexico Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We want evaluations to show that participants are experiencing improvements in their overall health and wellbeing. Each individual grieves differently, so we know that participants are not all in the ‘same place’ in their grief journey when completing evaluations. Evaluations are given to peer support group participants in May and December of each year in order to closely monitor program effectiveness. Evaluations measure both emotional and physical improvements in participants. After a year of CGC support, at least 85% of young people and adults will report various improvements in their health and wellbeing; including: feeling more prepared to face daily responsibilities at home/school; improvements in physical pains; improvements in ability to manage grief reactions; etc.
Objectives:
1) Participants will apply the healthy coping skills gained during their time in group to the rest of their lives, rather than turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms to mask painful emotions. 2) Serving the mental health needs of an individual lessens the chance that a tragic loss will result in other losses-such as loss of job, home, etc. At CGC, individuals can get the help they need so that they are mentally prepared to fulfill their obligations and continue on a healthy path as they find their ‘new normal’. 3) Serving the mental health needs of New Mexicans leads to a healthier future and economy for our state.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Grief, when not properly supported and assisted, can harmfully impact mental and physical health. Further, children grieve differently than adults. We offer a wide range of free, age-appropriate grief support services throughout the year for bereaved families, with our core program being facilitated Peer Support Groups offered to young people ages 5-25 and their caregivers. In order to serve kids and families living too far to attend our regularly held programs in Central NM, Camp Corazón was created in 2013 for kids living in rural communities throughout our state.
Support Groups give the grieving young person an opportunity to tell their story. By integrating their trauma and recognizing their own healthy coping techniques, and doing this alongside a group of their peers, who share a common struggle, young people can begin to heal and manage their grief. While children are in group, their caregivers have the opportunity to participate in group as well, because they are often grieving the same death their child is. “The Children’s Grief Center has saved our life. It is the most healing experience for a grieving family.” -46 year old woman
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
As the only organization in Central NM focused on providing support services for grieving youth and their caregivers, CGC is addressing a critical gap in health services offered to New Mexicans. Since 2001, we have been committed to providing specialized, effective grief support services at no cost to children and their caregivers in our communities. Our services are rooted in industry standard best practices and CGC's program staff have over 60 years of combined experience in developing and implementing quality programs for youth; with nearly 30 yrs dedicated specifically to serving the needs of grieving families. CGC provides tours and/or information to those who are interested in learning more about CGC programs and outcomes.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
CGC was entirely volunteer-led until receiving a grant to hire its first staff person in 2005. Since that time CGC has grown exponentially, serving hundreds of grieving families annually. We entered into a long-term lease in 2011 which has allowed us to increase the frequency of support groups and provide specific, theme-focused family workshops including Back-to-School Boot Camp, Grief in the Holidays, etc. in Albuquerque's North Valley. Services began at our satellite location in Rio Rancho in 2007. In December 2020, we moved into the new permanent home for our programs - the Center for Hope and Healing! This move allows us to serve more people and create new support groups and programs to respond to the growing and changing needs we see in our communities. We serve a growing number of families each year and will continue to do so at no cost, to provide critical support to grieving New Mexican children and families.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Young people, their caregivers and adults who are grieving the death of a loved one.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
-
What significant change resulted from feedback?
We have recently created loss-specific support groups. For example, people who are grieving a death caused by suicide are in one support group; people who are grieving a death caused by COVID-19 are in one support group, etc.
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Childrens Grief Center of New Mexico, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 01/23/2023
Mrs. Stephanie Miller
Debora Garrison
Principal Support Specialist, APS
Greg Chase
Attorney, Greg Chase Law
Stephanie Miller
Animal Humane Society of NM
Kelly Mancha
Insurance 4 Small Business
Judy Labovitz
Pharmaceutical Industry, Ret.
Gabrielle Delgado
UNM Student, Family & Child Studies
Paul Casaus
UPS HR Manager
Javier Benavidez
Community Organizer
Robert McCool
Funeral Professional
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/28/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.