The International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) received an Award of Excellence at the Indiana Society of Association Executives 22nd Annual Star Awards for its “Hope After Heartache” grief support group. The program, provided at no cost to OGR members, enables funeral homes to extend valuable support to the families they serve.

“For most funeral homes, grief support is a problem looking for a solution, so our members have been grateful to have this benefit available with no added cost,” said Nancy Weil, OGR’s member resources director and a licensed therapist who co-facilitates the group.

The grief support program provides members with a templated letter containing login details for the virtual support group that meets monthly. Funeral homes can provide the letters to families as a free resource.

It also offers a private Facebook page where members can continue to support one another between sessions.

OGR funeral homes can access free resource materials for families, including a brochure listing national loss-specific groups, blog templates and videos for their websites. More than 160 people have come through the support group since it began its Zoom format in 2020. ogr.org