Purpose
Report 2023
Our Mission
To help children and families grieving a death find connection and healing.
Our Vision
No child should be alone in grief.
Our Values
Respect
Courage
Compassion
Accountability
Letter from
our CEO
Friends,
As I gaze out my Judi’s House office window, I am struck by our cairn sculpture set against the backdrop of the majestic Rocky Mountains. You’ve probably seen cairns, the piled rock formations along the trail. They provide direction when we feel lost and remind us that we are not alone; others have traveled this path and are guiding us. At Judi’s House, cairns are more than navigational aids; they reflect the wisdom families share on the grief journey. They are a tangible symbol of remembrance, embodying a spirit of community and the power of solidarity when facing uncertainty. These structures exist because of a collective effort, representing how something as simple as a stone, when thoughtfully stacked together, can inspire hope.
As a symbol, the cairn reflects our progress as an organization in 2023, a symbol of strength built by a community of helpers, supporters, friends, and grievers. Our cairn's base rock is our resolute staff and volunteer teams. Their tireless efforts and unwavering dedication are instrumental in securing our mission focus. From providing a record number of volunteer hours to launching a childhood bereavement awareness campaign to supporting youth mental health at “We Got This!” summits—their passion and commitment are the foundation of our organization.
The next cairn rock represents our loyal donors, supporters, and our Board of Directors. Your contributions enabled us to expand our programs to include a new curriculum, Judi’s Rainbow, that provides our youngest clients with tools to navigate a life influenced by grief. You helped us assess emerging needs regionally and nationally through our Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model® in partnership with New York Life Foundation. You fueled our direct bereavement care services provided to more than 14,075 individuals since our founding. Your support is essential to maintaining a place for family and community healing.
Our network of partners and collaborators, is another crucial stone in our cairn. We leverage our communal strengths through strategic alliances and shared goals to achieve lasting impact. In 2023, we hosted the Healing Together Panel, uniting community leaders and experts to discuss the complexities facing families mourning stigmatized losses. We worked with school districts to bring grief support to youth in a familiar setting and to advance our programming. Powered by the New York Life Foundation, our Childhood Bereavement Changemakers initiative supported 29 organizational allies nationwide in strengthening their community programming.
Finally, our cairn includes rocks symbolizing the children and families we serve and the trust they extend to Judi’s House. Their courage, vulnerability, and fortitude inspire us to push forward in our mission. Their successes and struggles remind us of the importance of our work and the difference made when a community comes together to grieve and mend.
These interdependent stacking stones reflect the history of Judi’s House and JAG Institute. They mark the path we have traveled, and together, we will build cairns for the journey ahead. A journey informed by our mission, directed by our values, and guided by our vision that no child should be alone in grief.
Gratefully,
Micki Burns, PhD.
Chief Executive Officer of Judi’s House/JAG Institute
Core Initiatives
Direct Service
Judi’s House/JAG Institute is committed to providing accessible, high-quality bereavement support to children and families who have experienced the death of an important person in their lives. Through our programs and services, we offer a place of comfort, understanding, and healing for those who are grieving.
Our services include assessments and a wide array of therapeutic interventions, all tailored to honor the individuality of each grief journey and ensure that everyone who seeks solace within our walls finds connection and healing.
Since our founding in 2002, we have provided
Comprehensive Grief Care to
children and caregivers.
2023 By the numbers
Judi’s House served 1,764 total individuals through in-house and community-based care.
1,123
641
Children Served
Caregivers Served
Client Age
94%
Caregivers said they were better able to manage their grief.
87%
Children who reported disruptive grief-related distress before Pathfinders improved.
83%
Caregivers who reported disruptive depressive symptoms before Pathfinders improved.
91%
Children indicated they would recommend Pathfinders to a friend.
96%
Caregivers indicated the services received were high quality.
95%
Caregivers indicated they would recommend Pathfinders to a friend.
We facilitated
29
Pathfinders groups across
21
Metro Denver Middle Schools
Race/Ethnicity
79%
Students indicated they had healthy coping skills after Pathfinders.
75%
Students indicated they would recommend Pathfinders to a friend.
“Judi’s House provided a safe haven for our family in the saddest time of our lives. We will always be grateful for the tools we have learned and the amazing people we have met on this journey.”
From a former Judi’s House client
Judi’s Rainbow
In 2023, we expanded our programming by developing Judi’s Rainbow, a social-emotional learning curriculum developed for our youngest clients. This six-session group provides developmentally appropriate grief support to children as young as 3 years old.
Initial funding for Judi’s Rainbow came from the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation. We offered a pilot program to students in
K-2 grades in select Cherry Creek Elementary Schools. As an increasing number of caregivers with preschool children sought support at our Aurora home, we expanded the pilot to include our in-house services, adapting the content to better serve children ages 3-5.
Judi’s Rainbow emphasizes the important language of play while incorporating grief-focused content and group-based rituals similar to our Pathfinders curriculum. In each session, children share information about the person who died and their relationship to that person. Judi’s Rainbow activities help young children understand the concept of death, identify their emotions, and develop coping skills. The in-house program includes a caregiver component to aid adults in supporting their child’s grief reactions.
We are excited about the evolution of Judi’s Rainbow and look forward to sharing our learnings as we expand the programming in 2024.
Training & Education
Workforce Development Program
A pivotal aspect of our Training and Education initiative is our workforce development program, which aims to grow a new generation of grief-informed clinicians. Each cohort of postgraduate and graduate trainees collaborates closely with our program staff to develop clinical skills that they employ to deliver counseling services in our facility and the community. We could not serve our community without the contributions of these talented young professionals.
22
Graduate students and postgraduate professionals received clinical training.
7,096
Service hours provided by graduate trainees offering therapeutic and educational programming.
317
20,106
Education and Outreach Events
Individuals Reached
Judi’s House/JAG Institute offers grief education and outreach presentations to foster more grief sensitivity. These efforts educate a wider audience about the significance of quality grief care and the need for accessible grief support services at local and national levels.
We Got This! Summit
Photo Credit: Denver Public Health and Environment
The City and County of Denver’s Suicide Prevention Office launched a community project called “We Got This!” to support youth mental health and well-being. The We Got This! Youth Mental Health Summit is a day of peer-based interactive workshops and presentations aimed at raising awareness and garnering insights about youth mental health and suicide.
As a community partner, Judi’s House facilitated breakout sessions at We Got This! events that reached nearly 200 high school students throughout the year and culminated in an October summit that brought students together from across Metro Denver. The workshops normalized and demystified grief, validated a spectrum of grief experiences, and built healing connections among peers.
The programming offered by Judi’s House team members invites youth to reflect on the universality and uniqueness of grief. The workshops offer opportunities for expressing and processing aspects of loss. They also encourage youth to utilize community support and practice healthy coping skills as they navigate their
own grief.
“High school students are learning about the world and trying to make sense of it through their friendships and social interactions with one another – we hope to foster a sense of connectedness where youth can feel seen and heard, and recognize they are not alone in their grief.”
Emily Napier, Assistant Director of Community-Based Care
Evaluation & Research
Our Evaluation and Research team elevates our commitment to our mission of providing hope and healing for bereaved children and families, extending our dedication to a national level, and advancing our understanding of childhood bereavement.
Through our Childhood Bereavement Changemakers initiative, we support grief centers across the United States in implementing effective data analysis strategies and program evaluation best practices. Changemakers are empowered to raise awareness, increase their funding, and participate in advocacy and policy efforts. Our Changemaker partnerships deepen our nationwide knowledge of the field while equipping grief centers with essential resources to enhance support for grieving children and families in their communities.
Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Locations
Meet the 2023 Childhood Bereavement Changemakers:
- Bo’s Place – Houston, TX
- Bridges of Hope – North Charleston, SC
- CaringMatters, Inc. – Gaithersburg, MD
- Experience Camps – Westport, CT
- Fernside: A Center for Grieving Children – Cincinnati, OH
- Kate’s Club – Atlanta, GA
- Rainbow Kidz of Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County – Statesville, NC
- The Center for Grieving Children – Portland, ME
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) – Arlington, VA
Grief is a universal shared experience. In our lifetimes, we will all experience loss. According to the 2023 Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model® Report, produced with funding from the New York Life Foundation, 1 in 12 children in the United States will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. That is approximately 6 million children who will be bereaved by the time they reach adulthood, and this number more than doubles to 14.7 million youth by age 25. Appropriate support can help bereaved youth connect with peers and develop coping tools to manage grief reactions.
1 in 12
children in the United States will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18.
14.7 M
& MORE THAN
DOUBLES
youth will be bereaved by age 25
8.3% ~ 6.0 M
children will be bereaved by age 18
In addition to releasing our CBEM National and State reports, our 2023 CBEM Key Topic report examined the ongoing impact of the pandemic on childhood bereavement. This report used CBEM Snapshot results and highlighted the number of children newly bereaved due to a child death each year from 2018 to 2021. Although an increase was anticipated, the 46% jump in the number of children grieving the death of a parent in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic was astounding.
The report looked closely at causes of death, zeroing in on stigmatized losses such as those related to accidental drug overdose, COVID-19, suicide, and homicide by gunshot. Findings demonstrate shocking realities. For example, 1 in 5 children under age 18 who experienced a parental death loss in 2021 grieved an overdose death. Judi’s House clinical programming is at the forefront of delivering trauma-focused care to youth grieving stigmatized death losses in our community.
383,862
Children were newly bereaved due to the death of a parent in 2021
46%
Increase compared to pre-pandemic average
Watch and share the videos below to help increase understanding of the pandemic’s impact on childhood bereavement.
Judi’s House/JAG Institute partnered with the New York Life Foundation to help support grieving children and families by creating the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model.
Healing Together Panel
The Healing Together: Exploring Grief, Prevention, and Community Support in the Face of Stigmatized Loss Panel addressed leading causes of death highlighted in the 2023 CBEM Key Topic Report and explored the need for systems-level strategies to develop resources and services that prevent unnecessary deaths and support the bereaved.
Healing Together:
Exploring Grief, Prevention, and Community Support in the Face of Stigmatized Loss
This in-person and virtual event at Judi’s House was moderated by National Alliance for Grieving Children CEO Vicki Jay and featured expert panelists from Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, Colorado Attorney’s General’s Office, and City of Aurora. Our panel discussed key contributors to the astonishing 46% increase in childhood bereavement due to the death of a parent in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
Watch the highlight reel
Community Involvement
Events
Quarterback Club
Happy Hour
in the Garden
Annual Luncheon
In early 2023, we celebrated our donors who gave $10,000 or more with Brian’s Quarterback Club event at our home with former Denver Broncos Head Coach and friend Mike Shanahan.
We welcomed a sell-out crowd of friends, family, and community members for the first Happy Hour in the Garden event in our new home in June.
Our annual luncheon returned in 2023 following a three-year hiatus. Nearly 400 corporate sponsors and individuals gathered to support grieving children and families.
Volunteers
Volunteers are the heart of our organization, embodying our mission to provide compassionate support to those navigating grief.
We welcomed an amazing 535 volunteers to our home this past year, providing an incredible 11,186 hours of service to support our programs
and initiatives.
Their impact reverberates throughout our community, providing invaluable assistance in various capacities, from supporting our staff counselors and trainees as they facilitate children’s grief support groups to tending to our garden space.
Whether it is representing Judi’s House at community events or binding our Pathfinders’ journals, our volunteers play a pivotal role in ensuring that no one faces their grief
journey alone.
535
Unique volunteers
11,186
Total hours of service, with 1,752 of those hours provided by our Companion Volunteers
31
Volunteer Groups
14
Companion Volunteers completed a year of service
20
Community events attended by our ambassadors
10
Weekly or monthly volunteers
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion initiative
JUdi’s House/ JAG Institutes Commitment to Justice, equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Judi’s House/JAG Institute centers justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We strive to welcome, respect, value, and support our clients, staff, board of directors, and volunteers.
While grief is something we all experience we know that significant barriers prevent some from accessing grief care. Therefore, we are taking active steps to engage in ongoing learning, reflect the families in our community, respond to the cultural needs of our clients, and address discrimination and inequity.
This past year we have made strides towards ongoing learning and responding to the cultural needs of our clients. We offered multiple training courses for our Program Team members focused on advancing our JEDI initiative including a two-day workshop on supporting neurodivergent youth and their families, and a half-day workshop on working with LGBTQIA+ youth. We also participated in a land acknowledgement workshop with Project Mosaic for full staff and trainees.
As part of our JEDI Action Plan, a subgroup of staff meticulously reviewed our work to determine how we establish safety for our families, staff, community partners, and volunteers. We crafted a working definition of safety that was reviewed and revised by the entire team. Judi’s House aspires to create safety for all by establishing:
- A growth mindset, where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities.
- Protected spaces where competent professionals are empowered to employ their unique skills.
- Clear and consistent expectations, upheld by a commitment to our core values: courage, accountability, respect, and compassion.
- A transparent culture that prioritizes personal agency and diverse perspectives while fostering trust through genuine empathy and honesty.
Financials
Total Revenue
$4,155,040
Foundation Grants
Events
In-Kind Contributions
Capital Campaign
Other Income (Program Income)
Contributions
Other Income (Employee Retention Credit)
Investment Activity
Approximately $3.3M of our revenue comes from philanthropic contributions
Total Expenses
$4,445,826
Fundraising
Administrative
Programs
More than half of all expenses support our Core Initiatives.
Assets
Current Assets | 2023 | 2022 |
Cash and Cash Equivalents | $1,570,095 | $6,284,922 |
Certificates of Deposit | $4,131,100 | -- |
Contributions and Grants Receivable | $65,907 | -- |
Current Portion of Pledges Receivable Capital Campaign | $637,462 | $735,429 |
Other Recievables | $372,303 | $80,000 |
Prepaid Expenses and Other | $54,672 | $39,547 |
Total Current Assets | $6,831,539 | $7,059,898 |
Property and Equipment | 2023 | 2022 |
Building and Improvements | $13,706,763 | $13,663,950 |
Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $814,771 | $725,868 |
Land | $1,045,500 | $1,045,500 |
Less: Accumulated Depreciation | $(641,243) | $(200,180) |
Net Property and Equipment | $ 14,925,791 | $ 15,235,138 |
Other Assets | 2023 | 2022 |
Restricted Cash Capital Campaign | $980,960 | $1,274,483 |
Investments Held by the Denver Foundation | $2,188,430 | $1,941,039 |
Pledge Receivable - Net of Current Portion | $791,646 | $1,457,476 |
Deposits | -- | $500 |
Total Other Assets | $3,961,036 | $4,673,498 |
Total Assets | $25,718,366 | $27,284,133 |
Liabilities & Net Assests
Current Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 |
Accounts Payable | $145,390 | $703,492 |
Accrued Payroll Liabilities | $220,389 | $100,685 |
Current Portion of Notes Payable | $167,280 | $334,560 |
Lines of Credit, Bank | -- | $500,000 |
Total Current Assets | $533,059 | $1,638,737 |
Long Term Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 |
Note Payable, Bank | -- | -- |
Note Payable, Other | $334,560 | $501,840 |
Total Liabilities | $867,619 | $2,140,577 |
Net Assets | 2023 | 2022 |
Without Donor Restrictions | ||
Operating | $7,899,077 | $6,752,866 |
Net Investment in Property, Equipment, and Improvements | $14,423,951 | $14,398,738 |
Total Unrestricted | $ 22,323,028 | $21,151,604 |
With Donor Restrictions | $2,527,719 | $3,991,952 |
Total Net Assets | $24,850,747 | $25,143,556 |
Total Liabilities and Net Assets | $25,718,366 | $27,248,133 |
Judi’s House/JAG Institute Leadership
