MEDIA RELEASE
December 4, 2012
The Children’s Room Welcomes Nanci Gelb to its Board
by Cheryl LaMee-Ludwig
The Board of Directors for The Children’s Room appointed Weston resident Nanci Gelb as its newest member. Board Co-Chairs Nancy Lubin-Levy and Michael Gilligan agree that “Nanci brings extensive non-profit leadership experience, including through her present role as Development Director of Agassiz Village.” Executive Director Donna Smith Sharff concurs. “We are so fortunate that Nanci has made the commitment to join our board. I have experience working with Nanci as a volunteer supporting our development efforts – she is reliable, effective, hard working, passionate about our mission and fun to work with.”
Based in Arlington, The Children’s Room provides caring support to grieving children, teens and families. Nanci came to The Children’s Room a few years after her husband, Ron, died from mucosal melanoma. She knew of TCR through her mother-in-law and Deborah Rivlin, Director of Education and Training for TCR but it wasn’t until her then sophomore daughter, Arielle, joined the Teen Troupe that her relationship with The Children’s Room began to flourish. Nanci and Arielle both grew to know The Children’s Room as a “safe place, somewhere we could go and feel connected.” Originally from Port Washington, NY, Gelb also sits on the Board of Friends of Dana Farber, runs marathons, volunteers at school and spends time with her four children.
The Children’s Room (TCR) began in 1993, operating as a subset of Hospice West in Waltham, MA before opening as an independent, non-profit center in 1999. TCR has grown to be the largest independent 501(c)3 organization in Massachusetts that is dedicated to supporting grieving children, teens and families. Today, TCR serves families from all over Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire, all of whom come to TCR after the death of an immediate family member, most often a parent or sibling. Children as young as age 3 join this unique peer support. Several evenings throughout the week and Sunday afternoons, the peaceable yellow Victorian on Mass Ave comes alive with parents (who stay downstairs) and their children who race up the stairs to their respective groups. As suspected, the teens are on the top level. Each group, including the parents, meets with two or more trained volunteers. Through games, creative expression, children and adults connect with others who have experiences the death of a family member. There is no definitive time frame for participation in support groups, for everyone’s grieving process is unique. Typically, families stay in the program for one to three years.
In addition to running peer support programs for children, teens and families, TCR offers education and consultation to professionals, parents and the larger community. Another facet of The Children’s Room, and what connected TCR with Nanci Gelb, is The Teen Performance Troupe. The Teen Troupe offers a unique form of education through powerful and innovative performance by teens who courageously share their personal experiences of living with grief.
