GriefWorks closes Auburn operation

The challenging economy has closed an Auburn bereavement resource organization.

GriefWorks recently closed its local operation after serving the area for 13 years. The agency, like other nonprofit organizations, struggled to survive while trying to solicit the necessary financial and volunteer support to remain open.

"Though a dedicated team of volunteers and staff has waged a valiant effort to keep the doors of the organization open ... ultimately it has become apparent that it was no longer economically viable to continue the operation," GriefWorks board president Rob Perry said in a statement.

Perry said GriefWorks will continue its work as a consulting service, an information and referral resource to the bereaved community and the professionals who serve it.

GriefWorks, founded by Mel Erickson and Nanette Flynn in 1998, has served thousands of children, teenagers, adults and families in the South King and Pierce counties and throughout the Puget Sound. The agency provided grief counseling and support, along with training, education and help for those serving the public on the front lines as school counselors, teachers, medical personnel and those in the first-responder community who confront grief daily.

"The board and staff of GriefWorks are grateful for 13 years of opportunity to serve the grieving community, bringing understanding of the grief process and tools for healing," Perry said in his statement.

For more information, visit www.griefworks.org.

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