A Little Hope

A Little HOPE is a national granting foundation whose mission is to provide grief counseling and bereavement support services to children and teens who have experienced the death of a parent or loved one, regardless of the circumstances of the death. Strong preference is given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to the use of trained volunteers, whose programs demonstrate multicultural competence in addressing bereavement needs, and whose programs are likely to be replicable in other communities. The organization was founded by Whitney Siderman Michaels in New York City in early 2002 as a personal response fo the attacks on the World Trade Center. Whitney, then an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, was celebrating her Honeymoon on September 11, 2001 far from her desk on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower. In the spirit of their lives and as a tribute to her friends who perished in the World Trade Center, Whitney created A Little HOPE.

Amy Liebman-Rapp, M.S.Ed.,CT (www.thesanctuaryforgrief.org)
is a nationally known grief educator-counselor and children and teens bereavement specialist. She is a founding board member and the Grant Development & Management consultant to A Little Hope. Her current professional memberships include ADEC (Association for Death Education & Counseling-Certified Clinical Thanatologist)and the ACA (American Counseling Association. She is a member of the Adjunct Faculty of The College of New Rochelle Graduate School (Human Services Division/Gerontology) and has served as a provider for both the New York State Child Care Educational Incentive Program and P.A.S.E. (Partnership for After School Education). Amy was an on-site grief counselor and provided crisis response & debriefing services to the AON Corporation in New York City and Greenwich, CT after the tragic events of September 11th. She also served as a temporary caseworker for the American Red Cross of Greater New York Family Gift Program Long Term Recovery Project.