Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Aman.
Hi Lisa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Stamford, CT, and received my B.A. in Economics from Yale University and my M.B.A. from Stanford University. I spent much of my professional career at Bain & Company, a global strategy consulting firm, and moved to Atlanta in 1996 to open Bain’s Atlanta office.
I left the professional world when I had my third child and quickly became involved in the nonprofit space with organizations like the YMCA and the ACLU of Georgia. In early 2021, when I decided to re-enter the workforce, I looked for leadership opportunities in the nonprofit space as I wanted to work for an organization where my work mattered, to me, others and my community. A friend mentioned Kate’s Club and as l learned more about it, I realized that its mission – to empower children and teens, their families and young adults facing life after the death of someone important to them – resonated deeply with me.
Just after my 3rd birthday, my brother Jonathan died very unexpectedly. On that one day, I lost my playmate, my roommate and my best friend. I also lost, in many ways, my family. My parents, sister and I, we all grieved alone. We did not have the tools to process our really big feelings nor the language to express them. This single experience has shaped our lives – individually and collectively – to this day, and I found my purpose at Kate’s Club: to ensure that no child grieves alone and create a world in which it’s okay to grieve.
I joined Kate’s Club as its Executive Director in March 2021 with a vision to grow, to help support as many grieving children and families in metro Atlanta, and Georgia, as possible. In the last three years, our Kate’s Club team has doubled in size and we have expanded our grief support programs from serving children and caregivers at our Clubhouse and in schools in metro Atlanta to now also supporting grieving young adults and youth in the juvenile justice system. Additionally, we have launched an online community, Kate’s Hub, and we are now in geographies throughout Georgia, particularly those disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Grief is a lifelong journey – with many ups and downs or grief bursts as we like to call them – and I did not know this until I joined Kate’s Club. So many of my challenges and choices – from grade school and well into adulthood – are based on my brother’s death and my family’s response to it.
I can’t imagine the pain and anguish my parents felt. My older sister, then eight, was overwhelmed with sadness. I was confused. Where did Jonathan go? Why wasn’t he in the bottom bunk any more? How did he die? Why did I wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing? Was that wolf outside my window at night real? I had so many questions and so many really big feelings – I felt afraid, anxious, confused, sad, and alone. Overwhelmed and isolated, I was determined to be the kid – and young adult – who was independent, successful and in many ways, invisible.
It took me a few years – well, decades – to find a place where I can understand these feelings, my response to them and the impact my grief had on me, my family and our relationships with each other. I wish I had a Kate’s Club when my brother died, and I am grateful to now have the opportunity to learn how to grieve in a healthy way …and ensure that all bereaved kids, families and young adults have this opportunity as well.
We’ve been impressed with Kate’s Club, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Kate’s Club mission is to empower children and teens, their families, and young adults facing life after the death of a parent, sibling, caregiver or someone important to them. We do this by creating a safe – and fun – space where those who are grieving can connect with their peers who get it, who get them, and together, they learn to grieve in a healthy way. Ultimately, our vision is to create a world in which it’s okay to grieve, helping a young person turn what is a very unfortunate, and often traumatic, experience into a source of strength and resilience.
Kate’s Club provides grief support in two primary ways: at our Clubhouses, where grieving families and young adults come to us, and through our community-based work with schools, juvenile courts and other organizations. Our Clubhouse programs include our flagship Clubhouse Days, when kids come together for a weekend day full of group-based, recreational activities; Family Nights, which have an activity that allows the entire family to process their grief and learn coping strategies, together; our LoKate young adult group which meets twice a month either virtually or hybrid; and Camp Good Mourning, which is a weekend-long sleepaway camp we host three times a year either just for kids, or for the whole family. All of our Clubhouse programs are open-ended and we offer them at no cost to members and families.
With our outreach services, we work with a partner to bring grief support to a community. For example, we hold six-to-ten week grief support groups in schools, afterschool programs, juvenile courts, or locations where kids already are, which improves the accessibility of our programs. Some other outreach services include grief education and trainings for professionals, families or community members who want to learn more about supporting children and young adults who are grieving.
Kate’s Club is the only grief support organization in Georgia that provides long-term, open-ended support to bereaved children, families and young adults. Many people do not realize 1 in 11 children – 1 in 8 in communities of color – are grieving the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver, nor that the statistic increases to 1 in 5 young adults who are bereaved by age 25. Of all types of trauma, grief has the single strongest impact on a young person’s school outcomes and up to 90% of youth in the juvenile justice system are grieving.
While the numbers are high, we also know that 92% of young people can be supported by group-based and recreational programs like ours.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Grief is universal. At some point, we all experience the death of someone important to us, and yet we tend to grieve alone, as adults and even more so as kids. Our culture stigmatizes grief while we are meant to go through it together. Our vision is to create a world in which it’s okay to grieve, a world in which we believe that while death is bad, grief is good. A world where those who are bereaved find a community to grieve together and those who are supporting others who are grieving, are able to talk about it.
This is aspirational! As an organization, we strive to realize this vision in many ways. First and foremost, we work to serve more children, families and young adults who are grieving. We also educate teachers, therapists, professionals and community members to support them.
Additionally, we work to increase awareness. Awareness of the need for grief support and why it is so important to address grief as a mental health concern, and awareness of Kate’s Club and our recreational, group-based model as the solution.
Pricing:
- Kate’s Club programs and services are offered at no cost to our members and families, thanks to the generosity of our donors and volunteers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katesclub.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/katesclub
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/katesclubinc
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/10602119
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/katesclub
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@katesclubinc/
