Willmar Center to close

After 15 years of providing grief support in a safe, loving and artistically-enriching environment for hundreds of children, Sonoma’s own WillMar Center will close its doors on March 18.  

Founded in 2000, WillMar has served children between the ages of three to 19, and offered a variety of programs to fulfill the time-sensitive and critical needs of children suffering the loss of a loved one, or living with a family member with a long-term illness.

All programs were provided at no cost to the families served.  WillMar also provided support services to businesses and schools throughout the Valley that called upon the Center when tragedy struck.

In a statement released Monday, Jennifer Rochlin said “this approach to serving our community finally became impossible to sustain for a variety of reasons: diminished charitable donations in general, major donor fatigue, a proliferation of competing fundraising events, and the increasingly competitive nature of grant awards.”

In the end, WillMar had no viable, short-term path to recovery that would lead to long-term sustainability, Rochlin said.

“WillMar is deeply grateful to its devoted family of volunteers and hard-working, dedicated staff who have touched the lives of so many children over these last 15 years,” she said. “The Center also thanks the community at large for your support in helping us help so many.  On behalf of the children served, WillMar owes a debt of gratitude to you all.”

Referral services for grief support are available by contacting [email protected].