Janis was on the dance floor when she realized she was officially Team Kate’s Club.
It was her first Mourning Glory Gala. The dance floor was crowded, vibrant, and full of joy.
Why wouldn’t it be? When the fundraising’s all said and done, there’s always a lot to celebrate. We know that every single dollar raised will make sure a grieving child or young adult doesn’t have to feel alone.
Janis’s first Mourning Glory Gala in Atlanta, GA
But back to the dance floor – crowded, vibrant, and full of joy. Janis was having a ball with the rest of our guests. Suddenly, the dance floor cleared. She looked over.
Hundreds of guests were making room for Kenneth, the then 9-year-old member who was featured in a video and honored at the event.
“Everyone is hyping him up to dance and have a good time. The singer that was on stage started to sing directly to him to hype him up even more. Then the other kids joined in,” Janis said.
There were times in the video, and even at Kate’s Club, that Kenneth had to feel the sadness and hard feelings that came with his grief, but on that dance floor, with hundreds of guests cheering him on, grief and joy could co-exist.
That’s when Janis knew she was all in for Kate’s Club. She’d felt it from the moment she stepped into the event, the feelings of joy and the celebration of life.
Then it all came together on the dance floor where Janis could physically see it all before her; they raised the money, and it was going straight to supportive moments like that.
“When I saw the spotlight shine on the kids, that was it for me. That’s all I needed to know,” Janis said.
What is the best way to support people who are grieving?
Since that pivotal moment, Janis has attended the Mourning Glory Gala again, as well as joined the Board of Directors, despite one reservation – she hasn’t yet experienced the death of someone close to her.
“How can I help? How can I empathize? How can I sympathize?” Janis wondered.
She talked to several Kate’s Club leaders, including her now Co-Chair Austen Tully who introduced her to Kate’s Club.
Austen told Janis: “It’s not that you have to walk in their shoes in order to understand and listen and care and love people. That is not a barometer for how much you can care about someone.”
This aligns with Janis’s philosophy that you have to be intentional in your support of others that don’t walk the exact same life as you. You have to push yourself to truly listen to others’ experiences and support them. This even helped her be a more supportive friend outside of Kate's Club.
“I have friends who have lost children, who have lost parents, and who have lost parents at young ages,” Janis said. “How can I be of service to people regardless of the shoes that I stand in and my path?”
Reflecting more about the grief she saw in her personal life, and through Kate’s Club, Janis realized something one more thing: the inevitability of grief.
“Part of joining Kate’s Club is recognizing that one day it will be my story. We will all experience grief and death at one point in our lives,” Janis said.
When we recognize the inevitability of death and that it is one of the most universal life experiences, what do we do?
In Janis’s case, she learned that we have to come together. We have to support each other, whether that’s with a shoulder to lean on, or even providing fundraising, marketing and professional support to organizations like Kate’s Club that are scaling the number of people who don’t have to feel alone while grieving.
Is there a way to support grieving kids in my area?
We thank Janis for her incredible work as the 2026 Mourning Glory Gala Co-Chair, alongside Austen. You too can have your Team Kate’s Club moment, whether it’s moving on the dance floor, watching the member video, or seeing hundreds of individuals raise their paddles for the kids and young adults we serve.
For tickets and more information, please visit https://bit.ly/mgg26.
How can I get free grief support in Georgia?
Kate’s Club empowers kids and teens, their families, and young adults facing life after the death of a parent, sibling, caregiver or someone important to them. The organization builds healing communities through recreational and therapeutic group programs, education and advocacy. Since its founding in Metro Atlanta in 2003, Kate’s Club has served thousands of individuals who are grieving, through both member and outreach services. Kate's Club offers services in Metro Atlanta, Southwest Georgia, Northeast Georgia and Coastal Georgia.