Walk through the doors of Ele’s Place in Ann Arbor, and your eyes are immediately drawn to the walls lined with small hearts. Each represents a sacred memory, lovingly decorated by a child honoring a loss.
In the pre-K room, you can sense the echoes of children — tiny hands on short tables, a silhouette in the quiet corner, the chaos of games.
The teen room captures a different kind of solace where older children can drop the mask they wear in the outside world, finding room for the release of pent-up energy or the comfort of reflection over Uno.
At Ele’s Place, the weight they carry begins to melt, their shoulders release, and grieving hearts discover a profound truth: they’re not alone.
This vital community pillar was founded in Lansing in 1991 in honor of Betsy and Woody Stover’s 11-month-old daughter, Helen Louise “Ele” Stover. Recognizing that their surviving children grieved differently than the adults around them, the Stovers worked with mental health professionals to create a peer-support model. The Ann Arbor branch opened in 2007, moving into a state-of-the-art facility in 2019 with therapeutic rooms, play areas, a library, and a large common room for family nights. Throughout it all, their core mission remains: no child in Michigan grieves alone.
To make grief less isolating, Ele’s Place groups children by age from pre-K through high school. During sessions, kids enter structured groups led by clinically trained staff, followed by 15-minutes of free time. Every activity is designed to help children process, acknowledge, or simply sit with their complex emotions.
“It's crucial to help them understand their feelings,” says Program Director Jenna Mares, noting that childhood grief frequently manifests as sadness, confusion, or anger. “We give kids the opportunity to talk about it instead of holding it in or letting it come out in different ways.”
The circumstances of each child's loss are unique, but the loneliness that follows is strikingly similar. Whether grieving a parent, sibling, grandparent, or another beloved person, many feel different from classmates, unsure of where their grief belongs. Mares recalls a four-year-old newcomer who eagerly said to his mother, “I’m going to Ele’s Place to make new friends!” Instinctively, he was expressing a need for solidarity. At Ele's Place, that kinship becomes the first step toward healing.
"This place is like a big hug,” Mares says.
One of the most beloved features is the therapy dog program. The breeds are as diverse as the children, from a tiny lap pup to a Great Dane who arrives in costume, or a Newfoundland serving as a living rug for eight kids to pet simultaneously.
Mares recalls a rambunctious little boy who lost his brother. He initially insisted, "I don't like dogs." A couple months later, he was running through the doors, beelining for them. This transformation speaks to a profound truth about the role animals play in trauma recovery: they provide comfort precisely where words fail. When families lock eyes with a dog, a softness settles over the room. "With an animal, you don't have to explain it all,” Mares says. “They’re not gonna judge you."
While Ele's Place averages 100 families during the school year, they’re only operating at 60 percent. Recognizing that logistical hurdles and financial strain prevent some from attending sessions, Ele’s Place expanded its school-based programming to 17 local schools. Clinical staff facilitate intimate peer groups during school hours. Crucially, school staff sit in, ensuring that if students get overwhelmed, a familiar adult remains on-site so no student walks back to class alone.
Because every service is free, the organization relies on the community’s generosity. Whether it’s monetary donations, gas cards, or volunteering, every act of support keeps this sanctuary open. Involvement ensures that the next child who walks through those doors can safely drop their guard, look at the wall of colorful hearts, and know that their story matters, their healing is held, and they’re never alone.
Learn more, donate, or volunteer at elesplace.org.
PULL QUOTE:
“It's crucial to help them understand their feelings. We give kids the opportunity to talk about it instead of holding it in.”