For 22 years, The Mark Wandall Foundation has been a place of hope and comfort for children, teens, and young adults in Florida who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or guardian. We may be a small nonprofit, but our work carries immense weight, offering comfort, connection, and hope to young people navigating some of life’s most difficult moments.
Welcome! If you’re new here, I’m Melissa Wandall, Founder and President of The Mark Wandall Foundation. For more than two decades, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside grieving children, teens, and young adults, helping them find hope, healing, and connection after the death of a loved one. What began as a way to honor my late husband, Mark, has grown into a community that lifts up Florida’s youth through grief support programs, camps, scholarships, and year-round connection. At the heart of everything I do, I remind each child that even in their deepest loss, they are not alone.
Celebrating 10 Years of Youth Grief Camp
This year, we proudly celebrated the 10th anniversary of our grief camp in partnership with Comfort Zone Camp. For a full decade, our 3-day donor-funded camp has welcomed children into a safe, caring community where they discover something powerful – they are not alone. Around the campfire, in the “Healing Circles,” or during a simple game of kickball, children share stories, find peers who understand their grief, and laugh again without guilt. One camper described the weekend in a single word: home. That is the heart of camp. It is often the first time a child feels they belong again.
Each year, more than 60 youth from across Florida gather for this special 3-day bereavement camp. Professional counselors guide them through conversations of difficult emotions and remembrance, while fun activities give them space to play, bond, and just be kids. The results are profound. Campers report a 30% decrease in grief symptoms like anxiety and depression, and many leave with new friendships and a renewed sense of resilience that carries into their daily lives.
How Can Year-Round Youth Grief Programs Support Healing and Resilience?
What we experience at camp grows stronger through our year-round youth grief programs. Through our equine-assisted learning program, one of our key youth grief programs, children spend time with horses in a peaceful, rural setting. Horses mirror human emotions, giving kids a chance to better understand their own feelings. For some, a quiet moment brushing a horse or leading it through an exercise becomes a breakthrough. It is an unspoken reminder that they are capable of connection, strength, and calm amid grief.
To ensure families stay connected, we host quarterly reconnect events, simple but joyful gatherings like baseball games, water park afternoons, or a picnic in the park. These events give our grieving youth and their families space to laugh, build friendships, and lean on one another throughout the year. In just one year, reconnect attendance grew by 600%, a powerful testament to how much these connections matter.
Investing in Futures
We also know grief creates both emotional and financial obstacles. That’s why our post-secondary scholarship program is so vital. To date, we’ve awarded more than $67,000 to young adults pursuing trade school or higher education after the death of a parent, sibling, or guardian.
Each scholarship is more than a check; it is a message to a grieving young person: your future still matters, and you are not walking this journey alone.
Why This Work Matters
The need for this work is great. In Florida, 1 in 10 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before turning 18. Without support, grief can derail education, health, and emotional well-being. Since 2004, The Mark Wandall Foundation has created a bridge of healing, serving more than 700 grieving youth and reinvesting over $880,000 into our communities.
The Mark Wandall Foundation is proof that a small nonprofit can have a big impact. By focusing on the mental health of grieving children, we are not only helping them today but also preparing them for a healthier, more resilient future as adults.
Our work is fueled by compassion, community, and the belief that no child should walk through grief alone. Together, with every sponsor, mentor, donor, volunteer, and partner, we are lighting the way toward resilience, connection, and hope for Florida’s grieving youth.
Join Us in Making a Difference
- Donate — Your gift directly funds grief camp, scholarships, and year-round programs.
- Volunteer — Share your time and talents to support children and families.
- Sponsor — Partner with us to expand our reach and impact across Florida.
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