WISH LIST $100: supplies and snacks for a children's grief group; $500: crisis counseling services in a work setting after a sudden death; $1,200: 1 month of counseling for 5 children who have lost a family member

The Wendt Center’s pioneering founder spent his life studying and talking about death long before it was fashionable to do so. Today, the Center that bears his name (formerly the St. Francis Center) is the area’s premier social service agency supporting people with a life-threatening illness or those who have experienced the death of a loved one. The fundamental tenet here is that no one should have to grieve alone – so skilled therapists provide individual and group counseling to adults and children, a camping experience for grieving children, and community outreach. Wendt Center volunteers meet families at the medical examiner's office 7 days a week (serving 1500 families a year, it is the only program of its kind in the country), provide services to victims of violent crime and to co-victims of homicide as well. The DC Crisis Response Team and its 80 trained volunteers work with Metro Police to notify next of kin in the event of a death in the family and to provide support and resources n a compassionate manner. The Wendt Center steadily serves its clients regardless of cause of death, relation to the deceased, length of time since death, or ability to pay. Its pioneering work in children’s traumatic grief with DC children who have experienced multiple (and often violent) losses, has led to a guide for the grief counseling of inner-city children that is now widely used. You can honor with your support the exemplary courage of this extraordinary and innovative group.

Susan M Ley, Executive Director 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20008 202-624-0010 www.wendtcenter.org