2025 Mourning Glory Gala Unites Community and Raises Critical Support for Grieving Families
Kate’s Club Celebrates Connection, Resilience, and Healing at Annual Signature Event
Atlanta, GA (April 27, 2025) – Kate’s Club, the Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering children, teens, their families, and young adults facing life after the death of someone important to them, hosted its 2025 Mourning Glory Gala on Saturday evening at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead. Uniting a community of grievers and supporters, more than 300 guests came together for a night of connection, celebration, and hope. The event raised more than $360,000 to support Kate’s Club’s programs to help those experiencing loss thrive together and create a world in which it’s okay to grieve.
In line with Kate’s Club’s 2025 theme, the year of connection, the gala honored the deeply human moments that define the organization’s purpose. From live entertainment by W!ll & The Exclamation to a moving program featuring a video segment with remarks from founder Kate Atwood and a powerful testimonial from a Kate’s Club member family, the evening reflected the resilience and strength of a community brought together by grief and sustained through connection.
“Whether we like it or not, we are a community joined by the shared experience of grief,” said Lisa Aman, Executive Director of Kate’s Club. “The Mourning Glory Gala is a celebration of the moments that unite our community – from the encouragement shared between members, to the courageous stories told, to the powerful connections that form when we come together.”
A notable highlight of the evening was the story of the Pendleton family, featured in the gala video. Valerie Pendleton and her three sons have experienced an unimaginable series of losses in a short span of time. In 2021, Valerie’s oldest son’s biological father died. In 2022, his stepfather, and the biological father of her two younger sons, also passed away. Soon after, the boys’ grandfather died. Through this profound grief, Kate’s Club became a vital source of healing and connection for their family. Following the video, the Pendletons stood to be recognized while the room erupted in a standing ovation in support of their courage, resilience, and the love that continues to carry them forward.
“Kate’s Club has changed my life,” shared Valerie. “It has helped me to understand my grief process, my children’s grief process, and it’s helped me to understand that it’s okay not to be okay. I’m forever grateful for the work being done at Kate’s Club. Because of them, I feel my children’s future is going to be a bright one.”
The need for organizations like Kate’s Club has never been greater. In Georgia alone, more than 230,000 children are grieving a loss, with more than 100,000 in Metro Atlanta. One in eleven children, and one in eight in communities of color, will experience the death of a parent or sibling before turning 18. By age 25, that number doubles. When grief goes unaddressed, it can lead to mental health challenges, poor academic outcomes, and involvement with juvenile justice. By helping children navigate grief in healthy, connected ways, Kate’s Club builds resilience and prepares them for what lies ahead.
Thanks to the generosity of gala attendees and sponsors, Kate’s Club will continue to provide recreational and therapeutic programming in safe spaces, both in-person and online, at no cost to members. Kate’s Club would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to its 2025 gala sponsors: Delta, T&J Industries, DPR Construction, Northwestern Mutual – Trilogy Financial, The Melior Group at Morgan Stanley, FedEx, turnerboone, Primerica, Incisive, Hapag-Lloyd, Old Republic, Rough Draft ATL, Modern Luxury – The Atlantan, Empire Distributors, Maker’s Mark, and Powershot Images.
For more information or to support Kate’s Club’s mission, visit katesclub.org.
About Kate’s Club
In 2003, Kate’s Club launched in Atlanta, GA with a gathering of six children for a social outing at a bowling alley and has matured into a dynamic, statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit that has helped more than 10,000 grieving children and teens, their families, and young adults understand how to cope with their grief and know they are not alone. Kate’s Club is a place where being separated from someone important to you can be connective. Where experiencing a death can mean entering a new chapter of life. And where missing someone can lead to feeling seen. In this club, grief is challenging but it’s also growth – an example of how every part of life can become a chance to have a positive experience if you’re supported and among a community. Our programs are guided by the National Alliance for Children's Grief's Standards of Practice. For more information, visit katesclub.org or engage with us on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
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