At Santa Fe’s Gerard’s House, Maggie Boyle is helping children and families discover the healing power of connection, compassion, and simply being there for one another.

When someone we love dies, the world can suddenly feel like a lonely place. For children, grief can be especially confusing, filled with questions they may be afraid to ask and feelings they don’t yet know how to express. But what if the greatest comfort isn’t finding the right answers, but simply finding someone who understands?

That’s the philosophy behind Gerard’s House, a Santa Fe nonprofit that has supported grieving children and families since 1997.

In this episode of Doing Good, Maggie Boyle, Associate Director of Gerard’s House, joins hosts Michael Campbell, Anna Farrier, and Gabriella Marks for a deeply moving conversation about grief, compassion, and the extraordinary power of human connection.

Gerard’s House began when a group of parents who had lost children recognized that their surviving children needed the same kind of support they had found in one another. Nearly three decades later, the organization serves approximately 1,700 people annually, including children, teenagers, and adults.

What makes Gerard’s House different is its peer-support approach. Rather than trying to fix grief or help people “get over” a loss, the organization creates welcoming spaces where people can share their experiences, express their feelings, and discover they aren’t alone.

For young children, that might mean drawing, playing games, or simply spending time with others who understand. Maggie shares how an ordinary game of pool can unexpectedly open the door to cherished memories of a father who has died. Sometimes the most meaningful conversations happen when nobody is trying to start one.

The organization also recognizes that grief extends beyond death. Through Nuestra Jornada, a culturally responsive program offered in Santa Fe schools, children experiencing immigration-related separation, deportation, and other profound losses find support and understanding.

Throughout the conversation, Maggie challenges our assumptions about grief. It isn't always sadness. It can be anger, guilt, confusion, or even laughter. And there is no timetable for how someone should feel.

Perhaps the episode’s most powerful insight is also its simplest: compassion doesn’t require answers. It requires presence, patience, and the willingness to listen.

As Gerard’s House expands its reach into the Española and Pojoaque valleys, Maggie hopes more people will discover that supporting someone through grief doesn't require professional training. Sometimes, being willing to sit beside another person in their sadness is enough.

Because nobody should have to grieve alone.

Learn more about Gerard’s House at gerardshouse.org

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