Drew’s Hope, a grief support program of the Drew Michael Taylor Foundation, is seeking families with children 18 and under, who are grieving the death of a loved one, to participate in the Fall 2026 sessions which are offered in Shippensburg. The foundation was founded by bereaved parents, Randy and Marcie Taylor, after their three-year-old son Drew died in a car accident June 13, 2006 during a vacation in the Outer Banks.
Drew’s Hope — organized with the cooperation of Shippensburg University faculty and students in the graduate counseling program and undergraduate Social Work program— offers support for children and teens grieving the death of a loved one and their adult family members who are also impacted by the loss.
Drew’s Hope offers an opportunity for local families to enroll in a seven-session program that begins each evening with a shared meal. After dinner, children and teens take part in activities and discussions within age-appropriate groups, while adults share memories, concerns, and daily struggles with other adults who have experienced a similar loss and learn to help their youngest family members cope. Therapy dog visits, arts and crafts and other games and activities are incorporated into the sessions. The free program is slated to start on Tues. Sept. 22 at the Luhr’s University Elementary School on the campus of Shippensburg University and will meet weekly for seven sessions.
Marcie Taylor, the Drew’s Hope Family Services Coordinator, believes that the program can help children, teens and families who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, grandparent or other significant person in their lives work through the grieving process and find support through other families in similar circumstances. The program does ask for a family commitment. Families are asked to attend all seven sessions in order to build trusting relationships among the families and volunteers involved in the program. Families are advised that Drew’s Hope is a grief support program, not a counseling service. Other unique benefits of the program include Drew’s Hope Family Fun Outings and summer camp scholarships for children completing Drew’s Hope. Interested families can contact Marcie Taylor at 532-8922 or drewmichaeltaylor@pa.net to pre-register or can log onto the foundation website at www.drewmichaeltaylor.org or the Drew Michael Taylor Foundation Facebook page for more information. A short video about Drew’s Hope can also be viewed on the foundation website.
