Tim Boeve
Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
Tim Boeve, executive director of Sonoma’s WillMar Center for Bereaved Children, is stepping down, bowing, he said, to a “difference with the majority of the board over leadership style.” WillMar was founded in 2000 by Nina Sagall Gorbach to address the unmet needs of youth who have experienced a major loss in their young lives. Named in honor of Gorbach’s parents, the non-profit organization has grown in the last eight years from small meetings in the Gorbach living room to its present operation at 579 First St. W., where youth can express their grief in positive ways.
Reached while traveling this week, Boeve steered away from the cause of his departure and instead spoke admiringly about the center and his seven months’ experience working with it. “I think the mission of the organization is very meaningful,” he said, “and vital for the work that it does for children and teens who have lost someone.” He noted his background as a trained minister, having worked with death and dying for many years, as well as having known loss, himself, at an early age, as factors that made him well suited for the work. Boeve was executive director of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation for seven years, after having served as pastor of the Sonoma Valley Community Church for more than 17 years. He had succeeded Gorbach last summer as executive director of WillMar.
“I really value the opportunity I had to work in such a wonderful context in doing this kind of healing work,” he said, “and to see the tremendous efforts of the staff that I worked with, as well as the superbly dedicated volunteers who gave so much of themselves for the sake of the children and teens who passed through our doors.” The center has a capacity of around 100, he said, and sees children of all ages, who are grieving for a variety reasons, whether from the loss of a sibling, friend, parent or family member, or a life-changing illness or possibly just, as Boeve put it, “the trauma of modern life.”
“When you consider death by illness, accident, homicide, suicide,” he said, “our kids are impacted, probably more than you can imagine, and Sonoma has had its share of tragic accidents and loss over the years.” The fact that Sonoma has an organization whose sole purpose is to work with young people who need help with their grief is a tremendous gift, he said. “So the experience was certainly valuable to me, and I wish the organization all the best and I’m hopeful for a very bright future,” he said, adding, “I think the loss that many of our children and teens are experiencing is an issue worth our attention and support.”
Ilene Sagall, president of the center, also declined to discuss the cause of Boeve’s departure, but said, in a press release, “We are in an important transition and are engaged in a vigorous and exciting search for new leadership that will help us meet our mission. The community has been incredibly generous and supportive and we are deeply grateful. Our hope is that life for grieving children will remain bright and beautiful.” The center is actively searching for a new director, and interested parties should contact Sagall at info@willmarcenter.org, or call the center at 707-935-1946.
