Volunteers Transform Grief Center for Grieving Teens

When a child loses someone they love, even the physical space where they heal matters.

That's the philosophy behind Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss in Mountainside, New Jersey. The nonprofit creates warm, safe environments where grieving children and teens can find community and comfort. Recently, that mission got a major boost from an unexpected source: a team of accountants with paintbrushes and power tools.

Diana Miller, an assurance partner at Wiss and Company LLP and former board chairperson at Imagine, organized a volunteer day for her colleagues. The team tackled two crucial spaces at the center: the Teen Support Group Room and the Memory Hall, where families honor those who have died.

The volunteers assembled new furniture to give teens a fresh, comfortable place to share their experiences. They also painted frames throughout the Memory Hall, ensuring that each memorial display reflects the care and dignity that grieving families deserve.

"We are so grateful to everyone from Wiss who showed up and worked so hard," said Kristin Imbimbo, Imagine's Mountainside program and partnership manager. The updates went beyond aesthetics. They sent a powerful message to every child who walks through those doors: you matter, and your grief matters too.

The Ripple Effect

The partnership between Wiss and Imagine shows what happens when businesses invest more than money into their communities. Miller emphasized that service is core to her firm's culture, explaining that supporting Imagine creates "lasting, positive impact so that no child ever grieves alone."

For Imagine's staff, the volunteer day meant crossing off a long list of needed improvements. For the Wiss team, it meant connecting their professional skills to human needs. And for the children and teens who will use these refreshed spaces, it means walking into rooms that feel safe, current, and welcoming during the hardest moments of their lives.

The center continues serving families throughout New Jersey, offering free grief support programs for children, teens, and their caregivers. The renovated spaces now stand ready to welcome the next wave of young people seeking community after loss.

Sometimes healing begins with a freshly painted frame and a comfortable chair in a room that says: we've been waiting for you.