Lost & Found Grief Center

12/18/2025

We 💙🧡 hearing stories of help, hope, and healing, and a good surprise. This week, Becci Broadbent popped by with a sweet $100 gift for Lost & Found Grief Center. As a past participant, Becci shared how much grief support meant to her then and now.

This Holiday season, when she decided to take on the Clinvest Research challenge to "do good and spread joy," Lost & Found was her first choice.

Thank you, Becci, for spreading joy and supporting grieving families in the Ozarks!
💙🎄🧡

12/18/2025

“You can do it. Just hang in. Don’t give up.”🧡💙

This time of year, the word hope is everywhere—but for many who are grieving, hope can feel distant or even impossible.

After losing his spouse to cancer in 2020, Brad found himself in a place of deep despair. Like so many who experience tragic loss, the days felt heavy and the future uncertain. Through his grief group at Lost & Found, Brad found healing, acceptance, and something he didn’t expect to feel again: hope.

“When I hear the word hope, I think ‘don’t give up.’ People can come from the deepest despair and come out the other side—as long as they don’t give up.”

Today, Brad carries that hope forward, for himself, for his family, and for those walking this path behind him. If this season feels heavy, please know this: you are not alone. Even in the darkest moments, hope can still find you. 🧡💙

*All day, we have shared Brad's story. This is Part 1 of 3. Thank you again, Brad, for sharing your journey so bravely!

Thank you, , for capturing this story!

12/17/2025

"There is another side to it, but you gotta lean into it ..." 🧡💙

In his grief, Brad faced silence and loneliness. At Lost & Found, he discovered a community of people dealing with similar losses and feelings. He leaned into his grief and heartache and gained new tools and friendships by attending a therapeutic grief support group.

If you are looking for a community that understands what you are going through, reach out to Lost & Found Grief Center and consider joining a grief group in the new year.

Thank you, Brad, for sharing your journey with us all. 🧡💙

12/17/2025

“Everything you are feeling is valid. Every emotion, every tear, every scream...” 🧡💙

Today, we are sharing Brad's grief journey. In 2020, Brad lost his husband to cancer. He thought he could handle grief on his own, but when the reality of the loss settled in, Brad reached out to Lost & Found, where he found acceptance and healing.

Brad told his story of losing John to filmmaker Randy Bacon as part of our Finding Hope series. 🧡💙

If you are feeling lost in your grief this season, give us a call to begin a journey of help, hope, and healing this next year.

12/16/2025

’Tis the season of giving, and last week, we were incredibly grateful to be selected as a recipient of a $7,500 Jerry Redfern Grant from the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation and U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

Support like this helps us continue providing a space of help, hope, and healing for grieving families across the Ozarks. Thank you for believing in our mission and for investing in the families we serve—we truly could not do this work without you. 💙🧡

12/15/2025

This season, grief often shows up quietly—in memories, in traditions, in the small ways we hold onto the people we miss.🎄💙🧡

Over the past few weeks at Lost & Found Grief Center, kids, families, and adults have created memory ornaments—each one telling a story. These ornaments contained personalized handwritten messages, favorite colors, and small details that carried special meaning.

When we asked individuals to share about their creation, we heard reflections like:
💚 “I picked green because my dad’s favorite color was green.”
❤️ “My special note was red, so I wanted it all to be red.”
💙 “This ornament also holds my love.”

These ornaments aren’t just for the tree. They’re a way to say, "You are still remembered, you are still loved."

We’re grateful to the Stanley and Elaine Ball Foundation for sponsoring this meaningful activity that also included cookies for everyone! 🍪💙🧡 Central Bank & Central Trust Company

View more photos of the ornaments here: https://lostfoundgriefcenter.smugmug.com/Lost-Found-Groups/Holiday-Ornaments

12/13/2025

"I want to talk about my dad. . . Who cares if I cry? I want to talk about him." 💙🧡

All day we've shared Rachel's journey of help, hope, and healing within her grief. At Lost & Found, Rachel discovered a place where she could talk about her dad and express all her emotions.

If you're looking for a safe space to talk about your grief, we are here. Give us a call at 417-865-9998 or complete our contact form to take your next step: https://lostandfoundozarks.com/contact

12/12/2025

"I'm going to go do this. . . I went and I was so nervous, but it was so nice to meet somebody my age that had experienced a death of a parent . . . "

Rachel was a teenager and a student at Missouri State when her dad died in a car accident in February of 2022. None of her friends and classmates could relate to her feelings of losing a parent, but at Lost & Found Grief Center, she encountered people who understood her grief.

12/12/2025

Today, we’re sharing Rachel's story. She was just 19 in 2022 when her dad died in a car accident, leaving her, her brother, and her mom without a father and husband. She remembers her dad as her guardian—but grief was something no one could shield her from.💙☔️🧡

What Rachel did find was support. At Lost & Found Grief Center, she discovered a place where her grief was seen, her story mattered, and healing could begin. 💙🧡

Finding Hope Series: Video 1 of 3
Thank you, Rachel, for sharing your heart and your grief journey with us all.

12/11/2025

Throughout 2025, we’ve celebrated Lost & Found Grief Center’s 25th anniversary and the many people who have helped bring help, hope, and healing to grieving families across the Ozarks for 25 years! 💙🧡

With the year nearly over, there’s still time to add your name—or someone you love—to our 25th Anniversary Legacy Wall. The wall will be installed in 2026. Spaces on the wall can be secured through December 31, 2025.

💙 Learn more on our website or by contacting Jamie Fields, Development Director. 🧡 https://lostandfoundozarks.com/legacy-wall/

12/10/2025

We are so thankful for Melanie Blair on the Lost & Found team. Take a few moments to listen to her sincere story of navigating grief as she continues to walk in hope and healing.🧡🩵

Thank you, Around The Ozarks, for the invitation to be part of this podcast.

THE REAL DEAL CONVERSATIONS INTRODUCING… The Real Deal Conversations with Megan Deal shares real stories and meaningful conversations to encourage, inspire, and equip you for life’s challenges—whether it’s mental health, relationships, work, or leadership. Through personal experiences and in...

12/09/2025

You showed up BIG for Giving Tuesday! 🧡💙 Because of you — and our amazing matching sponsors — we surpassed our $25,000 goal and reached $34,734! Thank you! Your generosity helps Lost & Found Grief Center continue offering help, hope, and healing to grieving individuals in our community.

Special thanks to our Giving Tuesday partners:
Auxan Capital Advisors, Cox Roofing, ESC, Inc., One More Benefit & SRC Holdings Corporation.