Our Support Groups Are Different—And That’s Exactly the Point

At the Schuylar Barnes Foundation, we believe that healing happens not just through shared grief—but through shared life.

Our support group, based in Princeton, West Virginia, offers something different than traditional grief groups. We don't sit in a circle and talk for an hour about our pain (though there's space for that, too). What we offer is community. Connection. Friendship.

We’ve created a space where grieving moms can build real relationships beyond their loss. Because while grief brought us together, it's not the only thing that defines us. We're moms. We're women. We're human beings still trying to live—and love—through the pain.

So instead of weekly meetings focused only on talking about our grief, we do things that friends do:

• We go out to dinner.

• We shop together.

• We see movies.

• We plan girls’ weekends and retreats.

Of course, we also cry together. We pray together. We hold each other up on the really hard days. We honor our children’s lives and memories. And during each monthly gathering, we pause for a devotion—rooting ourselves in faith, hope, and the strength of God.

What started as a support group has become a sisterhood. A lifeline. A place to be seen and known.

As we grow, our goal is to bring this kind of community to other towns and cities across the country—so that no grieving mom has to walk this road alone.