Meet Christy Livingstone – as a donor and former volunteer, she has dedicated over 15 years of love and support to our grief support program! She started volunteering in 2002 as one of our group facilitators, and after a move to Chicago, she and her husband are back in Texas and are some of our most loyal donors.
Tell us a little bit about you and your family.
I am the Marketing and Grants Director for CNM, The Center for Nonprofit Management. My husband Bryan and I have been married for almost 17 years, but together since we were freshman at TCU! We have FIVE dogs, all rescues!
Tell us about how you initially got involved with The WARM Place.
I first became involved with The WARM Place in 2002 as a grief group facilitator on Sibling Night. Bryan also became a facilitator with me on sibling night. [Volunteering at The WARM Place] was actually my very first Junior League of Fort Worth placement. My placement officially ended, but I continued to volunteer until 2006 when we moved to Chicago. Volunteering at The WARM Place was an incredible experience that we shared early in our marriage. I actually always talk about this experience as being the thing that taught us the most about what is really important and how much of what young couples fight about is so petty in the grand scheme of things.
What inspires you to continue giving?
We just really believe in the work being done at The WARM Place. We have seen firsthand the power The WARM Place has to help heal families and just how important it is to ensure children have a place to come talk about their grief in a safe place surrounded by loving, caring people, and, most importantly to connect with their peers who have also experienced the death of a loved one. Bryan and I have referred friends in need of grief counseling for their children, and The WARM Place has been life-affirming for them and has helped their hearts heal. And, it’s important to give to ensure The WARM Place can continue to provide these services to families at absolutely no charge.
Could you share a favorite memory about your involvement with The WARM Place?
I have two. One from our time volunteering and one recent that didn’t happen at the [WARM Place] house. Bryan was a facilitator for the younger kids on sibling night, so they were little, and Bryan is 6’4. I remember one night as we are getting ready for the family meal time, all of the little ones were climbing all over Bryan like he was jungle gym. He had one kid on his back, one wrapped around each leg and another one hanging from his arm. It was just so funny to me and of course, helped endear him to me even more!
The second one was more recent. A friend of ours who is a current client bought us the blue The WARM Place t-shirts last year, and I happened to wear it to an Arcade Fire concert over at the AAC. The family behind us leaned in and shared that they had been helped by The WARM Place. As we were leaving at the end of the night, they gave us hugs and thanked us for our involvement. It was really touching and such a “WOW” moment. It again cemented how needed The WARM Place is, but also how many families have benefited.
What do you wish other people knew about The WARM Place?
I think people need to know The WARM Place is not a sad place. It can be a sobering place, but it is about reflecting on the wonderful memories we have of those who died. I think it teaches those of us who are still here a lot about living, how to really make each day count.
We are so grateful to have friends like Christy and Bryan Livingstone, whose generous support is essential to fulfilling our mission of helping heal the hearts of grieving children in our community. We couldn’t do this important work without the hundreds of volunteers and donors who proudly support and advocate for The WARM Place!
