Hope and Healing After an Addiction Death

Every other Wednesday, Calvary Lutheran is home to Hope and Healing bereavement group. The group is run by Lani Bonifacic, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and two Moms, Gail Cole and Patty Trava, who have lost their own children to addiction.

The group has grown primarily through word of mouth and through social media. Their reach is now well outside of Bergen County and has sparked interest from other church organizations in the state. A recent addition has been a group for teenagers and young adults.

Sharing Hope and Healing's message about this important work has made a big difference in people's lives.

Lani shared this on Facebook: Thank you to all who share our posts on social media. Hope and Healing After an Addiction Death bereavement group meetings continue to grow. There is no charge to attend. At our last meeting we had over 20 adults in one room and 4 young adults/teens in a separate room. Thanks to your posts, we have people traveling from Bayonne and Sparta as well as Bergen County. We receive positive feedback that our group is helpful, people feel understood and less alone.Sharing our posts makes a difference- Thank You!

Our next meeting is Wednesday, June 1 at 7:30pm at Calvary Lutheran Church in Allendale, NJ. We will run two meetings. Gail will run the group for adults while Lani will be with the teens/young adults. Anyone who has lost a loved one, friend or family member is welcome.

Hope and Healing After an Addiction death, a bereavement and support group, was created in response to the heroin epidemic affecting Bergen County and beyond. Gail Cole, Patty Trava and Lani Bonifacic, LCSW founded the group in March 2015 and in January 2016 a separate group for teens and young adults was added. Gail lost her 22 year old son Brendan on January 4,2014 and Patty lost her 21 year old daughter Cate on February 2,2014.

We are grateful to Calvary Lutheran Church who shares their space with us for free. Meetings are held the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm. For more information, call Lani Bonifacic at 201-786-8572 or Gail Cole at 201-960-4146. Please share this info.