Friends of Aine Raises $125,000 at Annual Gala

More than 250 guests gathered to dine, dance and remember loved ones at the 3rd Annual Friends of Aine Gala, held at the Manchester Country Club on March 24. The evening featured a live auction, fund-a-need appeal and candlelit moment of remembrance to raise funds for grieving children and families. Co-chaired by Cheryl Boyarsky and Madeline Fishman of Bedford, and sponsored by Fidelity Investments and its Nashua Investor Center, Ridgewood Savings Bank, Harvard Pilgrim HeathCare and other private donors, the event raised over $125,000.

These funds have allowed Friend of Aine to open an office in Manchester and expand the Good Grief Program for bereaved children and teens into the Manchester Community.

“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and thrilled about the opportunity to expand the Good Grief program to help even more children and families,” says Christine Phillips, Co-Founder, Friends of Aine. “We are more passionate about what we are doing than ever before.”

The Good Grief Program was founded in 1988 by non-profit organization Home, Health & Hospice Care, to help children that have suffered a loss. Support and care are provided by trained professionals who understand the trauma and immense suffering children experience after losing a parent or sibling. For the past 5 years, Friends of Aine has been helping to fund the Good Grief Program in Merrimack. With the funds raised at this year’s Gala, Friends of Aine is proud to continue this meaningful work by managing the existing Good Grief Program in Merrimack and opening new groups in Manchester.

Friends of Aine Center for Grieving Children and Families has opened at 146 Lowell Street in Manchester, across from the Boys & Girls Club. This office will house the Good Grief coordinator and volunteers, and offer resources for families in search of grief support. Beginning in September, an additional Good Grief Teen program (ages 14-18) will be held at the Boys & Girls Club. Good Grief Kids (ages 4-13) is scheduled to begin in Manchester in January, 2019.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester is excited about our new partnership with Friends of Aine! Titled ‘Good Grief,’ this collaboration will provide support for kids from Pre-K to teens on Sunday’s at our Union Street Clubhouse” says Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. “Together, we will help guide our children through the grieving process in an environment they find safe and nurturing.”

Friends of Aine is a 501c(3) non-profit organization established in 2013, in memory of Aine Phillips, who died unexpectedly at the age of 8. The mission of Friends of Aine is to raise funds to support bereavement programs for children who have suffered the loss of a parent or sibling, provide a place to house these services and be a grief resource center for community organizations and families.

For more information about Friends of Aine, please visit our website at www.friendsofaine.com or
contact us at 603-669-1120 or info@friendsofaine.com.