While people of all ages may mask sadness surrounding the death of a loved one, there is a safe space in Erie County where they can take that mask off.

Kristie Nosich knows the Importance of These Quilts.

Grieving families create them to honor their loved ones.

They fill the Highmark Caring Place, where Kristie has been the program manager for the past eight years.

But the licensed professional counselor started working here 16 years ago.

"Shortly after that, my children's father died. And so, I had a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old at the time," said Kristie. 

They were immediately living what families at the Caring Place live through too.

"What we do is we bring families together who have experienced a death. So families come here, adults with their children," said Kristie. "They come, they meet other people, they meet other people who understand what grief is like."

The Caring Place works to offer hope, not a fix. It's a peer support group. No therapy. No counseling.

"t does not matter your insurance. Everything we offer is completely free to the community," said Kristie. 

It opened in 2001 and is the second of now four Caring Places in Pennsylvania.

It has rooms to offer a safe space for grieving young children, the same for teenagers and adults, to express feelings if they choose.

The kids create their own room rules. Confidentiality is a must.

Local businesses and organizations sponsor space and items for the families.

The first Caring Place started in 1997 in Pittsburgh after the former Highmark executive director suffered a loss. Dedicated volunteers have helped to grow what's now a 10-week program. Families gather for dinner, then share their depths.

"We allow families to come back as much as they need us," said Kristie. 

No matter how long it takes.

Funding comes from different sources for the Caring Place programs. One of the most recent ones: a virtual one, for 19 to 30-year-olds. There have been participants from across America and into Canada.