When Juli McGreal's husband passed away in 2005, her son Billy was only 16 months old.
At the time, her family was living in Wisconsin, where she struggled to find support.
It wasn't long before she relocated to Arizona and founded Billy's Place.
"We started with one support group, and now we have over 10 support groups."
For those mourning the loss of a loved one, new coping skills are taught in specific and specialized group sessions at Billy’s Place.
"Billy's Place just gives these kids and adults a very safe place to express the grief that they are feeling."
Healthy ways to engage in honest communication are encouraged by each group leader.
"Billy's Place with me... it gave meaning as to why my husband died," McGreal says. "I know if he could see how many people we've helped through the loss of him... yeah, he would definitely just be so, so amazed by it."
The support found at Billy’s Place was life-changing for Kim Humphrey when her 6-year-old daughter Mayzie passed away.
"In 2013, my twins were born, Dutch and Mayzie. With Mayzie, right away, we could see that she had some health problems. That really was just the beginning of a six-year journey with her," Humphrey said. "She just lit up your day, no matter what, even if she wasn't feeling well but she had a lot of medical complexities and in 2019, Mayzie died at our home, with our family."
In the days that followed her daughter's death, Humphrey heard about Billy's Place.
Not knowing what to expect, she walked in with her family.
"We came to the loss of a child group. My husband and I were with other parents that had lost a child. Our kids were with other kids who had lost a sibling."
Encouraged almost instantly, Humphrey also says, "It's just something that you can't really find many places, especially for the kids."
Together with others, her family learned they didn't have to walk through the pain of their loss alone.
"For my husband there really was not much support during Mayzie's life and to be able to come here and see him connect with other men, other dads, and express things that I didn't even know what it was. It was pretty amazing and just really comforting."
One year after Mayzie's death, Humphrey felt the nudge to pay her healing process forward in the workforce. Now she's the Director of Operations at Billy's Place, telling ABC15, "It's a privilege to be in this position."
Thanks to state and federal grants, services at Billy's Place are provided at no cost to families who are required to go through the orientation process.
Arizona drivers can also support Billy's Place by selecting an ADOT Specialty In Loving Memory license plate.
"It's $25 for the specialty plate itself and then $17 of that plate purchase comes back to Billy's Place," Humphrey says.
The cost for personalization is $25 more per year.
To see more than 90 specialty license plates for Arizona, including the one that benefits Billy's Place, click here.
Billy's Place is one of several grief support centers in the Valley that provides ongoing support groups for children experiencing grief. Billy's Place covers the Valley supporting grieving kids, with the West Valley being its focus, according to Executive Director Kris Friedman. New Song Center for Grieving Children, which is associated with Hospice of the Valley, also provides support for children grieving the loss of a loved one.
