A place of healing: The Grief Center opens new playground space

Jade Richardson Bock knows firsthand that grief comes in many forms, as does healing from it. For the past 20 years, she’s served as executive director of The Grief Center.

Founded in 2001 and located in The Center for Hope and Healing at 4125 Carlisle NE in Albuquerque, The Grief Center is a nonprofit organization that offers free support for grieving individuals, ranging from young children to seniors.

Inside the center, you can find rooms dedicated to certain age groups, some featuring children’s books and toys used to help them understand and process their emotions.

For a couple years now, Bock has wanted to create an outdoor play space at the center for the children who visit and receive services.

“Play is essential to a child,” she said. “Whether they’re learning how to cope with a loss of a loved one or any challenge in life, we need a space where they can run, where they can laugh and solve problems outside and together.”

Bock enlisted the help of Minda McGonagle, a former lobbyist in Santa Fe, to help the center apply for capital outlay funding to build the playground.

McGonagle had known Bock for years and came to the center to see if they were interested in buying some art her husband had made. That’s when she learned of the playground idea and, not long after, jumped on board to help.

“When you have the ability to help, you need to, and capital outlay is difficult unless you know how to do it. And it was my honor and privilege to help,” McGonagle said.

Bock and McGonagle got moving, filling out paperwork and speaking with legislators about the project, and eventually $360,000 in capital outlay funding was earmarked for the play site.

With the money secured, the center partnered with Bernalillo County Parks, Recreation and Open Space to begin construction, which took roughly a year. The playground features a basketball court, a balancing board, a plastic rock kids can climb on and walls for them to draw on with chalk. Benches are around the park for parents to sit while their children play.

When the playground was officially opened on May 22, Bock stood outside and watched as several families took their first steps onto it. With a smile on her face, her dream of an outside space for children finally realized, she now hopes the playground will provide the healing needed for future generations.

“I’ve been anxiously waiting to have kids on our playground and I finally got to see it and, honestly, I stood in the corner and cried for a bit,” she said. “I was so happy to see this whole project come together and serve the family that it needs to serve.”