At United Way Rock River Valley, 211 connects our neighbors to hundreds of local services every day. This series, How 211 Connects You, puts a spotlight on the agencies behind those referrals — the people and programs showing up for our community.

How 211 Connects You: Healing Hearts 815

Support for Grieving Kids

Grief doesn't wait until we're ready for it, and it doesn't spare kids. When a young person loses someone they love, the hardest part is often what comes after the casseroles stop arriving and everyone else goes back to their normal lives. That's where Healing Hearts 815 steps in, and it's exactly the kind of local resource 211 was built to connect people to.

A Support Group Born from Personal Loss

Healing Hearts 815 is a non-denominational grief support group for kids in grades 6 and up, led by local educator Elizabeth Hand. Elizabeth understands this work from the inside. She lost her sister Renee in a car accident when Elizabeth was 15, just eight days before her own 16th birthday. In the weeks that followed, a school counselor insisted she join a grief support group, even when Elizabeth was certain she didn't need one.

She was wrong about that. Sitting in a circle with other kids who were also processing loss became, in her words, her savior. Healing Hearts 815 is Elizabeth paying that forward: a safe space where young people can sit and listen, or say everything they're feeling, depending on the day.

That safety shows up in small moments Elizabeth still carries with her. During a recent group, the kids were playing a card game built around finish-the-sentence prompts. One girl, a longtime member of the group, drew a card that read "_______ is easier now because…" and answered without missing a beat: "Talking about my parents who have passed is easier now because I come to this group."

This kind of unguarded honesty only comes from feeling truly safe, and it's exactly why Elizabeth does this work.

Why This Matters for Our Community

We tend to file grief under "sad, but normal" rather than "mental health issue." It's neither less real nor less urgent than the concerns we usually put in that category. Unprocessed grief in adolescence is linked to anxiety, depression, and long-term struggles with emotional regulation. Giving kids a structured, judgment-free place to work through loss early is one of the most effective forms of prevention we have, and it's exactly the kind of care our community has told us it wants more of.

Groups like Healing Hearts 815 fill a gap that schools and families can't always fill on their own. They give kids permission to grieve alongside peers who actually understand what they're going through.

How 211 Connects You

This is the second installment of our "How 211 Connects You" series, spotlighting the local organizations that make our community better and more connected. The 211 Information Line exists so that no one has to search alone for the right kind of help. Whether a family is looking for grief support, housing assistance, or childcare, a call, text, or visit to 211 puts them in touch with vetted local resources like Healing Hearts 815.

If you or someone you know has a young person navigating loss, 211 can help you find your way to this group and others like it.

Get Connected

Learn more: Healing Hearts 815
Contact Elizabeth: healinghearts815@gmail.com
Find local support: Dial 211 or text your zip code to 898-211