Sally Ware only has faint memories of her father, but she knows he was a big personality who was full of energy.
Her dad, Tarleton Ware, went by the nickname T. He was a musician who loved to play the acoustic guitar, sing and be outdoors. But T’s time with his family was cut short. He was diagnosed with lung and bone cancer in October 2001 and died in January 2002, a few months before Sally turned 8.
“Everybody liked him,” Sally said. “And I know when people die, people are like, ‘Oh, they were the best,’ but, people really loved my dad.”
Sally eventually attended Brooke’s Place, which provides free ongoing grief support groups for people ages 3-29. She said Brooke’s Place was a helpful outlet to release frustration and be among other kids with similar experiences.
“When I was in school, there was really nobody else who had had a parent who died,” Sally said. “So it was nice to be able to go to Brooke’s Place and have other kids my age that knew, even if we didn’t talk about it, it was just that understanding of how we’re feeling.”
Sally Ware and her siblings with their father, Tarleton Ware, who was diagnosed with lung and bone cancer in October 2001. (Provided photos/Sally Ware)
Brooke’s Place has provided support groups on the north side of Indianapolis since it began in 1999, then expanded to the west side in 2019 and the east side in 2023. Now, the local nonprofit will provide ongoing support at Christ Indianapolis United Methodist Church, a new southside location.
“I think a lot of times we tend to do better in supporting friends or families or those who are grieving in those initial days or months, around that funeral time or in that first year, and forget that for those who experienced the death of a loved one, that’s a grief that goes with them for the rest of their life,” said Tara Ntumba, associate clinical director for Brooke’s Place.
What to expect during your grief support group
One in 10 Indiana children will experience the death of a sibling or a parent by the time they’re 18, according to a 2025 report from Judi’s House/JAG Institute and the New York Life Foundation.
“We know that the need is there and we know that unresolved childhood grief can lead to a host of challenging issues for children down the road,” said Theresa Brun, the executive director of Brooke’s Place. “It can be poor performance in schools, it can be substance abuse, it can be illegal activity — up to and including incarceration.”
To combat that, volunteers work with staff to serve roughly 600 kids and parents. The program is offered twice a month and begins with a community pizza dinner before separating into small groups.
Families participate in a variety of activities and games, such as playing with Jenga blocks, maneuvering through life-sized Candy Land and making slime. All the while, they tie the activities to grief, asking questions about their person who died and, for example, using slime to discuss the messiness of life after a traumatic death.
Each location also has sensory rooms, such as The Expression Room, with low lights, calming music and art supplies. Plus, The Volcano Room has padded walls with kid-friendly punching bags, pool noodles and bubblewrap to help participants release frustration. The southside location doesn’t have a volcano room yet, but they hope it will be available by the fall.
From attendee to volunteer
Participants don’t have to visit the support group for a set number of sessions. They can come for as long as they feel a need, whether that’s a few sessions, a couple of months or multiple years. As a child, Sally didn’t fully understand what death meant. So, she went to Brooke’s Place off and on throughout her formative years as she navigated different stages of grief.
“As I got older and I started realizing, like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s never gonna be at my wedding,’ or ‘He’s never gonna be here,’ then it all came back again,” Sally, now 32, said. “So that was one of the reasons I went back when I was in high school.”
“When I was in school, there was really nobody else who had had a parent who died. So it was nice to be able to go to Brooke’s Place and have other kids my age that knew.”
— Sally Ware
But, her journey with Brooke’s Place doesn’t end there. Sally has volunteered with the nonprofit since 2021 when she realized the next stage in her grieving process was to support kids who are the same age as her when her dad died.
Brooke’s Place is looking for volunteers who can meet two nights a month. A 16-hour training with volunteers and staff is provided.
“You don’t have to know all of the answers,” Sally said. “I’m not a professional on grief whatsoever, but as long as you show up and you’re there for them, and you can listen, that is the most important thing and it goes such a long way.”
Brooke’s Place is able to expand due to grants, including $32,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. and $40,000 from Bestow. The support groups are free, but families can make a monthly $30 donation to help cover program costs.
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Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X at @_elizabethgabs.
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