A Message From The BCW Tree House Director
It is my honor to present our very first Bereavement Center of Westchester / Tree House (BCW Tree House) Impact Report for 2023-2024, reflecting on our organization’s impact throughout Westchester County, and the boroughs of New York City.
The rippling effects of COVID have certainly impacted the BCW Tree House organization by increasing the public’s awareness of how important grief support is for the long-term mental health of those who suffer from loss.
With this new normalization of grief support and attention to mental health, multiple BCW Tree House peer support groups now have waitlists, including our Support After Suicide group, and other loss-specific groups. Due to this high demand for services and increased volume of calls, BCW Tree House added and filled four new support groups this year, including increased parent/sibling and spouse/partner groups.
Fortunately, as demand grew so did our office space. We recently obtained new, larger, state of the art offices in White Plains, New York. These new offices not only provide our staff room to grow, but they also give our counselors and therapists additional rooms to expand our support services.
This past summer, we utilized our new space for additional summer groups and individual counseling sessions, a first in our 29-year history. These beautiful new offices have also given us the opportunity to now offer creative art therapy for children, and in-person counseling for teens.
Thank you for supporting our mission to give every person the opportunity to grieve in a supportive, accepting environment. Your ongoing commitment is a vital part of our ability to provide exceptional bereavement services to families in our community so that all who grieve can look forward to a brighter tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Anne-Marie Conlan Tree House Program Director
New trainees and seasoned volunteers at The Tree House
The Tree House PROGRAM
Always nurturing. Always growing. Always improving
• Tree House therapists and counselors provide grief therapy services during summer months, ensuring our Tree House children receive nurturing support all year long
• Extended grief counseling for Tree House children who need support in their school environment
• State of the art grief counselor trainings that integrate contemporary research learnings and cultural considerations
Specific Loss Support Groups For Adults
Branching into all types of loss and addressing all forms of grieving
• Child loss
• Maggie Rose perinatal loss
• Suicide loss group
• Spousal/partner loss
• Parent/sibling loss
• Spanish speaking groups
BCW Tree House School and Community Outreach
Bereavement training for our schools and corporations throughout Southern Westchester and New York City
Some schools and corporations that we helped:
Pleasantville High School
Tarrytown School District
Mamaroneck School District
White Plains Highlands School
Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont
The Tessa School in Hoboken
Chatsworth Elementary School in Larchmont
St. Vincents Hospital
Phelps Hospital
PCI Industries
Allied Group Construction Company
Lions Club of Tuckahoe
The Pelham Art Center
2023-2024 IMPACT
Project:
• Expanding program awareness of the Tree House throughout the community
Outcomes:
• Key presenter at bereavement and counseling forums across the tristate area, including:
- “Respond To Loss And Manage Grief In Your School And Community,” a workshop to educate guidance counselors, school social workers, school administrators, and community members about supporting and responding to kids of all ages who are coping with loss
- “Adolescent Grief,” a conversation with the Student Assistance Services Corporation to improve understanding of adolescent grief through a developmental lens, and how to support and respond to grieving adolescents
• Participated in local radio and podcasts on the subject of grieving including WVOX radio’s popular program, “Time To Talk With Jennifer Granziano.”
Scan QR code to listen
Project:
• Strengthening the Tree House volunteer program
Outcomes:
• Educating new volunteers at an intensive 21-hour/2.5-day offsite training retreat
• Enhancing training programs to include in-depth learning about communication and boundaries, coping tools for people affected by suicide/ trauma and healing mechanisms for children that incorporate play and art therapy
• Using SEO, social media and word of mouth to recruit new volunteers with diverse backgrounds. Recruited new volunteers from Manhattan College, Pace University, Pelham, Bronxville, New York City Boroughs, Mount Vernon, Yorktown Heights, Harrison, Hastings-on-Hudson, Crestwood, Ossining, Thornwood, Mamaroneck, Newburgh, New Rochelle, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tuckahoe, Carmel and Rye
• Expanded multi-lingual volunteer services
The Maggie Rose PERINATAL LOSS PROGRAM
Alessandra Rose established The Maggie Rose Perinatal Loss Program in 2005 after losing her newborn daughter, Maggie Rose to a fatal genetic condition. The program provides support to families coping with perinatal grief.
Q&A with Maggie Rose participant, Yasmin Foster
Q: Yasmin – you have been participating in Maggie Rose perinatal loss counseling services since 2022. Can you explain the circumstances that brought you to this program?
A: My pregnancy became high risk during my second trimester when I was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, a condition that also made me susceptible to developing sepsis, a life-threatening infection, during childbirth. I had to induce premature labor, knowing my baby would not survive long after delivery. I was consumed with grief, and my care team recommended The Maggie Rose Perinatal Program to help me manage my mental wellbeing.
Q: What components of The Maggie Rose Perinatal Program help you manage your loss?
A: My counselor at The Maggie Rose Perinatal Program is extremely skilled in helping people cope with perinatal grief. I always feel like she understands what I’m going through and says all the right things to make me feel better at any given point in time. The program also introduced me to a community of people who faced similar circumstances and lift my spirits by sharing stories
and words of advice that I can relate to. The group therapy and individual counseling sessions validate my feelings and make me know I’m not alone.
Q: How is The Maggie Rose Perinatal Program different from other coping mechanisms you explored?
A: In the past doctors recommended medications to help me overcome my depression and anxiety, but the mental and emotional healing I get from Maggie Rose is all I need. It’s comprehensive therapy that treats my mind, body, and soul.
Q: Why would you recommend The Maggie Rose Perinatal Program to other families coping with loss?
A: It’s a unique program where you can build relationships with people just like you, share common feelings, and receive expert counseling services that help you recover from perinatal tragedies.
Remarkable years of growth for BCW Tree House
school counselors attended annual grief trainings 200+
10,000
schools received grief support training through BCW Tree House presentations/consultations 20+
KIDS
kids gained access to bereavement services at schools due to improved trainings for school staff
hours volunteers spent at The Tree House 3,000+
individual counseling sessions 1600+
professional institutions received education on coping with loss in the workplace 40 calls fielded to help professionals address specific crises in the community 75 retention rate of volunteers facilitating groups at The Tree House 100% more children and adults who benefited from The Tree House Program in Bronxville 20%
A record level 50% increase in new Tree House volunteers, all prepared to meet the ever-changing needs of our community
individuals benefited from perinatal bereavement via individual and group counseling 71+
pizzas offered to families for dinner at Tree House meetings
increase in adults participating in group therapy sessions 20% more spousal/partner loss group sessions 25%
*Statistics are based on averages for 2023 and 2024
Friends,
BCW Tree House is a beacon of hope and healing for our children and their families who have experienced the profound loss of a loved one.
Our children’s Tree House Program is offered free of charge for kids 4 to 18 thanks to your generosity.
For a small fee we also offer a wide range of BCW Tree House support groups that cater to the diverse needs of our community and are run by highly trained and experienced therapists.
There are many opportunities for you to make a meaningful impact on what we do. Please consider attending our fundraisers, offering an annual appeal donation or company grant. Another way to help is to become a Tree House volunteer. Being a volunteer is personally rewarding and means so much to our Tree House families.
All these acts of kindness and generosity contribute to making tomorrow brighter for so many grieving individuals in our community.
Find out more about how you can help at bcwtreehouse.org.
I thank you on behalf of The BCW Tree House Board and everyone who works with our Tree House families.
MK O’Shaughnessy
BCW Tree House Fund Board Chair
100% of total revenue goes directly to BCW Tree House programs and services
2023 Revenue: $308,000
2024 Revenue: $309,000
BCW Tree House revenue totals for 2023 and 2024 are impressive, but fall short of our annual revenue goal to raise $400,000 each year
WORDS OF THANKS From Some Of Our Tree House Families
After my wife had passed away, I was struck by the lack of support for me and my two elementary school children. Our school district offered very minimal counseling and support. We were simply given names of private therapists and physicians, but most of them were not accepting new patients. The Tree House really helped us. There is no other program that offers support to entire families like the Tree House!
- Neville Bamji, Tree House participant
Being a Tree House volunteer has changed my life. I learned about the program when I was 16 years old when I lost my mom suddenly. It was during the 1980s and there was not much support for grief. Years later I decided to become a Tree House volunteer. As volunteers we hear incredible stories of courage and strength from our children and see them cope with their loss better and better with each passing week. The Tree House is not just a support group for children, it’s a community for them as well. Some of the darkest days in grief can be lightened by just one smile. Our children come to realize the commonalities of their losses and together they grow and heal.
- Cathy Nadal, Tree House volunteer
My daughters were 4 and 13 when their father suddenly passed away in 2019. Through all the chaos of our new lives without him we finally learned how to be strong and regain hope for the future. We did this because The Tree House was by our side. The Tree House is a very tight community where we feel safe and have learned so many coping tools that have improved our lives.
- Hanita Messite, Tree House mother and participant
You Can Make A DIFFERENCE
Become a Tree House volunteer
• Help strengthen our volunteer corps by participating in the intensive, comprehensive retreat for new volunteer training this winter, and learn how to assist community members coping with grief.
Attend our fundraising events (they’re fun!)
• Buy tickets to our fundraisers! We have two BWC Tree House events every year. Our Fall fundraiser is held at a beautiful Bronxville home every November and our Spring fundraiser is an exclusive fashion show at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC called Tree Chic!
Donate
• Donate via BCW Tree House’s annual appeal. Look for our annual appeal mailer which will come to your home right after Thanksgiving
• Double personal contributions by finding out if your employer sponsors gift matching
• Encourage your company to give to BCW Tree House
• Set up a family endowment fund for the benefit of BCW Tree House, and secure our financial well-being for years to come
BCW Tree House TEAM
Board of directors
Mary Karen O’Shaughnessy, chair
Michelle Antonini
Hilary Blumenreich
Wendy Halley
Sarah Kurita
Linda MacKinnon
Beth McErlean-Pierce
Megan McSherry
Guy Morris
David O’Shaughnessy
Tom Sommer
Thomas Welling, Jr.
Program staff
Administrative director
Melody Madera MS, MPH, HACP, PHNA-BC
BCW Tree House program director
Anne-Marie Conlan, LMHC
Assistant director
Joanna DeNicola, MPA, LCSW, CT
Administrative assistant
Pat Discenza
Administrative services
Ashley Suarez
Counselors and clinical staff
Julia Blaugrund, Tree House counselor
Mary Cullman, LCSW, MSW
Lindsay Fernandez, LMHC
Laura Himmselstein, LMSW
Matt Huffman, LMFT
Kathy Kehoe-Biggs, LCSW, PhD
Deborah King, LCAT
Lorraine Kransdorf, Tree House counselor
Karen LaGotta, LMSW
Emily Laitmon, LCSW
Debra Morrison-Dyke, PhD
Rashida Sanchez, LMSW, FT
Ellen Theg, LP
Tracy Turner, LCSW
Marianne Walsh, MA
Marketing and development
Director
Janet Lyons
Susan McGeorge
Abby Sprague
Thank you to everyone for your GENEROUS SUPPORT
Our donors, our volunteers, our corporate partners, our fund board, and the communities we serve