January 15, 2026
Measuring the Impact of Bri’s Lodge in 2025
2025 was a year of Growth, Connection, and Deepened impact for Bri’s Lodge. This past year we expanded our reach and strengthened our role as a support system for grieving individuals and families throughout the area. As we walked alongside families navigating their grief and healing journey, our community showed up to support us with commitment, strength, and resilience, helping us so we could in turn support those in need.
The following review highlights not just the numbers behind our impact, but the individual stories that shaped our year. Our mission has always been to ensure that families are supported in the grief journey. That mission guided every event, support group, and resources that we offered throughout 2025. Together, we created opportunities for families to connect and heal through:
- 60 support group sessions
- 53 companioning visits
- 28 events, including workshops and other program activities
- Annual Evening of Hope Fundraising Event in April
- Annual Candlelight Vigil to Honor our Loved Ones
- Annual Car Show
In 2025, we saw many connected with Bri’s Lodge in the past return to find continued support through new and existing services. We are grateful for the commitment of our recurring participants, and excited to welcome dozens of new individuals who also participated in support groups and other services throughout the year. Below, one of our participants reflects about her grief journey, and the impact Bri’s Lodge made in their story:
Impacting our Community
My world was shattered and my life turned upside down when two of my sons died 4 years apart. I felt lost, alone, and in need of support to get through that horrific time. I quickly learned no one understands grief and loss better than someone who has been through it themselves. So when I learned Bri’s Lodge was not only local but had in-person grief groups relating specifically to my type of loss, I was eager to participate and see what it was all about. I have since attended several groups, including an Adult Child Loss group and a Suicide Loss group, and have found comfort and felt totally supported in my grief, and surrounded by people who “get it”. Attending these groups has gone a long way in my healing process and knowing that there is support out there provides comfort and gives me hope! I can’t thank the wonderful people at Bri’s Lodge enough and am so grateful to have found this organization! Bri’s Lodge Participan
Participation across our events and services in 2025 reflects how individuals and families seek connection, support, and healing. The following chart shows the different types of support services that participants accessed, and the wide range of opportunities from support groups to memorial events. This demonstrates the importance of providing multiple pathways for grief support. The Participation in Services Review chart illustrates the many ways people chose to be part of Bri’s Lodge this year, reminding us healing happens through shared experiences.
The Universal Language of Loss, Spoken in Countless Different Stories
The following chart reflects the wide range of experiences with grief within our community. Each piece of the chart represents a participant carrying a unique story of their loved one. Understanding the types of loss helps Bri’s Lodge better respond to the needs in our communities, and how to continue to support the families we serve and reminds us how valuable individualized support honors every individual’s story.
The Collective Impact of our Volunteers
An invaluable component of the daily impact Bri’s Lodge makes are our volunteers who are woven into the tapestry of support we offer to the bereaved in our communities. With over 100 volunteers, the impact those volunteers make at Bri’s Lodge is deep and wide. One important program we provide to our clients is a one-on-one companion service which offers a space to share feelings in response to the profound loss. This service is provided by trained volunteers who are anchored in respecting and exploring the uniqueness of each person’s loss while allowing them to share their grief and how it impacts them individually.
Volunteers also facilitate support groups, lead our memory bear workshops, advocate for grieving children in our growing Children’s Program, coordinate our monthly young widows social, serve on our board of directors, and help with fundraisers, among many other events. Their tireless work and passion make an indelible impact upon our program participants and throughout our service region.
Recognizing the Impact of One of Our Volunteers
This past year one of the most prestigious volunteer awards, AARP’s Andrus Award for Community Service, was awarded to our own Gayle Brown Olson, for her volunteer service as a grief companion. Gayle was recognized for the impact she is making in her community with her profound empathy and service to grieving families, as she embodies AARP’s founder Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus’s vision of people making extraordinary differences. Gayle’s work involves supporting individuals and families dealing with loss, while drawing from her own experiences. She is a shining example of dedicated community service through Bri’s Lodge.
Looking Forward
Moving into 2026, we are excited to build on the momentum of this past year. Our goals include broadening access to our services, increasing community outreach, and offering more spaces where families can find comfort and understanding. With the continued support of our team, donors, and community, we are ready to grow our impact and walk alongside even more families in the year to come.
Bri’s Lodge wants to thank everybody for their support in 2025!