Dear Friends and Supporters,

As Volunteer Appreciation and our Birthday Month comes to a close, I want to pause and reflect on what the volunteers at Jessica's House mean to me. It has been such a gift to know and witness the healing work that our volunteers bring to families at Jessica's House these past 13 years.

This month, we celebrated our volunteers at our appreciation event at Ten Pin where we honored them by gifting them pins to recognize how many years they’ve served. It was such a special evening filled with laughter and connection. Whether they're supporting group nights, events, outreach or in school groups, they are each such a vital part of the work we do.

We recently wrapped up our spring volunteer training and it's been wonderful welcoming those eager to be part of this work. It's a beautiful reminder that compassion draws people in, and that this mission continues to grow.

We've also loved being out in the community this season—from the D.A. Wood Cornhole Tournament to Motors on Main—and it’s always meaningful to see how our mission starts conversations and opens hearts.

Thank you for the many ways you show up with kindness, commitment and care. We simply couldn't do this without you.

Always,

Erin Nelson

Executive Director, Jessica's House

Celebrating our Incredible Volunteers

We had so much fun celebrating our amazing volunteers at Ten Pin! It was a night filled with laughter, strikes (and a few gutter balls), and a whole lot of gratitude. Thank you for the heart you bring to Jessica’s House—we’re so thankful for each of you!

Check out the latest episodes of When Grief Comes Home!

• Episode 16 - Changes in Your Family After a Death
• Episode 17 - The Complexities of Grief After an Accidental Overdose

New episodes air every other Tuesday! Please take a moment to write a written review and rate our new podcast!

Listen and Subscribe

Art Activity: Grief Monsters

Materials: Toilet paper rolls, pipe-cleaners, googly eyes, markers, yarn, pom-poms, hot glue gun, fun straws

Directions:

Create your grief monster.

• Would it be short or tall? Cut the toilet paper roll to represent its height.
• What color would it be?
• Give your monster a face. Use markers to draw its expression and glue on googly eyes.
• Use pipe cleaners, pom-poms, and a hot glue gun to give your monster arms, legs, and/or ears.

We can choose to think of our grief monster as bad or annoying, or we can think of it as a creature that needs to be taken care of, just as we take care of ourselves when we’re grieving.

Write a letter to your grief monster and share how you feel when it’s around. Tell your grief monster what you will do to take care of it. 

Patricia Kay Beaver’s Gift to Jessica’s House

We were honored to be chosen as a service project by two thoughtful 5th grade classes at Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary! They spent time learning about Jessica’s House and the families we support, and in doing so, created sensory items—like slime, glitter bottles, and Orbeez balloons—for our groups. We’re so grateful for their kindness and creativity!

Welcoming our New Volunteers

We’re excited to welcome new faces to our volunteer team! Our newest volunteers are already bringing fresh energy and a strong commitment to supporting the families at Jessica’s House. We can't wait to see to the positive impact they’ll make!

To become a Jessica's House volunteer, please complete the volunteer

application below.

D.A. Wood Cornhole Tournament

What an afternoon! Huge thanks to D.A. Wood Construction for hosting another incredible Baggin’ and Braggin’ Cornhole Tournament! The competition was fierce, the energy was high, and every toss helped raise support for the families at Jessica’s House. We’re so grateful to everyone who came out, played, cheered, and

made it such a memorable event!

Motors on Main

What a powerful day at Motors on Main in Gustine, held in loving memory of Victor Medeiros. We’re deeply grateful to the Medeiros Family for organizing such a heartfelt and generous event in support of Jessica’s House. A special thank you to Allison, our incredible Youth Ambassador, for sharing her story and reminding us of the impact community can have in times of grief.

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