(soft music) - I became involved with Ele's Place in 2001 when my husband suddenly passed away.

My daughter needed help and I did too, so we called Ele's Place.

- Ele's Place provides peer-to-peer grief support for children and teens.

Art is such a gift.

Through art and talking, they build things that are used to be the foundation to deal with their grief.

- Ele's Place was founded in Lansing in 1991.

We wanted really to provide it for families who were already at risk as well.

People who are working three jobs, who don't have transportation, who don't have employment.

Their kids need it as much as our kids need it.

It crosses all socioeconomic lines.

- The most important thing that I learned, that it was okay to feel whatever emotion I was feeling.

- Ele's Place has served over 31,000 individuals in this community all at no cost.

I want you to stop and think about that.

That is double the amount of seat in the Breslin Center.

- The beauty of Ele's Place is that kids who might not be friends in school, realize that they share this most intimate and traumatic moment.

(soft bright music) - I say this all the time.

Grief is the price of love.

It's beautiful and magical because there's so much love in here.

And we know they're just learning to express it when their person's not here on earth with them.

- What I would say is inspiring is that it's good to know that you can go to a place to learn how to process your grief.

And you really can feel good on the other side.

(upbeat music)