I'm Grieving
Find a person who understands your kind of loss and will meet you without judgment, pressure, or a timeline.
- One-to-one peer mentoring
- In person or by secure video
- First private mentoring session free
Peer grief support, from people who understand
You don't have to walk through grief alone.
When loss changes everything, a steady presence matters. First Hour connects you with compassionate peer support in Louisville and through TeleConnect across the U.S.
Your first private mentoring session is free. Grief Support Groups are always free. OUTSIDE LOUISVILLE? START WITH TELECONNECT →
How can First Hour help you today?
Start with the path that feels like yours.
No hunting. No guessing. Just a clear next step, whenever you're ready.
I Want to Help
First Hour exists because people choose to show up—with their time, financial support and willingness to open doors.
- Give time or lived experience
- Give personally, corporately or through stock
- Connect FHGR with partners and funders
Support that recognizes your loss
Some parts of grief are hard to explain to anyone who hasn't lived them.
The relationship you lost shapes the grief you carry. Begin with words unique to your experience—or skip straight to a conversation. You never have to fit your story into a box.
Find support for my kind of lossPresence over fixing
Support from someone who knows the weight you're carrying.
First Hour's mentors are trained peers who have experienced significant loss themselves—and know how powerful it is to be heard by someone who truly gets it.
- 01Reach out. Tell us only what you're comfortable sharing.
- 02Get connected. We'll identify support that fits.
- 03Move at your pace. Meet in Louisville or through TeleConnect.
People, not profiles
Meet someone who understands.
Every mentor brings a different lived experience. We listen for what matters to you and help connect you with a person whose story and presence may feel like a fit.
Loss of a child · Loss of a parent
Kimberly Cassady
Training Director / Grief MentorKimberly learned that grief and joy can coexist—and that no one should have to walk this road alone.
Pregnancy and infant loss
Lindsay Merrifield
Infant & Pregnancy Loss Program DirectorLindsay honors her son Bryant by helping other families feel less isolated in their grief.
Loss of a child · Traumatic loss
Ericka Mingus
HopeWave Program DirectorEricka carries her son’s memory into compassionate support for young people and families.
Multiple family losses
Kevin Dockery
Grief MentorKevin discovered that opening up is not a burden—it can be the beginning of healing.
Ways we show up
Support shaped around real lives.
Choose the kind of support that feels closest to what you need. Each path explains what to expect before asking you to take a next step.
Private Peer Grief Mentoring
Private one-to-one sessions with a trained peer whose lived experience can help you feel understood.
- First visit is free
- 60–90 minute appointments
- Louisville or TeleConnect
Grief Support Groups
Facilitated support groups that are always free to attend, organized around shared experiences, connection and practical coping.
- Child, pregnancy and infant-loss paths
- Loss-specific and general groups
- Recurring Louisville gatherings
- Call ahead to reserve a place
HopeWave
A free, 10-week school-based program helping young people feel understood and less alone.
- Age-appropriate curriculum
- Workbook included
- Approved for JCPS
Strides for Healing
A seven-week workshop for people grieving the suicide death of a loved one, built around reflection, conversation and healing in a small group.
- Begins once each year
- Workbook and guided projects
- Limited to six participants
Founded by grievers, for grievers
This work began with two lives changed by loss.
Lisa Schardein and Karen Buchanan knew the disorientation of sudden loss—and the rare relief of meeting someone who understood without explanation. First Hour grew from that lived truth.
First Hour is Christ-centered. Our faith calls us to mourn with those who mourn and to hold hope when hope feels far away. We welcome people of every faith and no faith without pressure. If questions about God, meaning or eternal life become part of your grief, there is room to explore them honestly.
Meet us with one conversation →
People make this work possible
Give time. Share a skill. Open a door. Fund an hour of hope.
Volunteer, support an event, introduce a community partner or make a financial gift—including a gift of stock.
Practical help in a difficult hour
Writing an obituary?
Use our compassionate guide to honor a life—and find support for the grief you may be carrying.