About Gerard's House

How Gerard's House Began
Gerard’s House was started in the fall of 1997 by a group of bereaved parents who were attending a grief support group at Berardinelli’s Mortuary led by Sister Arlene. Many of the parents had teenage children who had died in the previous year. They realized that the siblings and friends of the teens who had died did not have a place to receive support. Sister Arlene knew of a place called the Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon that held support groups for children and teens. The group of parents worked together with Sister Arlene to raise some money, travel to the Dougy Center, and take the facilitator training. They returned to Santa Fe and started a grief support center named after Gerard Sanchez, a teenager who died in a car accident in 1996.

We started with a facilitator training in January of 1998, and held our first children's grief support groups in a one room facility run entirely by volunteers. Gerard’s House has continued to grow and is now in its fourth building.

Today
Today, we are moving through a time of transition and restructuring while continuing to offer grief support for our community. Our Board of Directors includes seven members with a large advisory council. We continue to benefit from the support of our 20+ trained volunteer facilitators who are greatly instrumental in allowing us to provide services.

Camp Rainbow
In 2003, Gerard's House added a summer camp for children ages eight to eleven who have experienced the death of someone important in their lives. Though Gerard's House is not offering an overnight camp at this time, Camp Rainbow is included in our Summer Programs as a 1-day grief support daycamp.

Outreach
Over the years, Gerard's House has reached thousands of people through presentations, trainings, and support. We regularly collaborate with schools and other organizations serving youth and families in Santa Fe and surrounding communities.

Gerard’s House is incorporated in New Mexico as a non-profit 501.3 (c) and does not charge for its services.