Tidewell Foundation Opens Labyrinth Garden at Family Grief Center

May 13, 2022 – Sarasota

The Tidewell Foundation dedicated the labyrinth garden at the Tidewell Family Grief Center in Ellenton during a ceremony Friday, May 6. The completion of the labyrinth garden was catalyzed by a recent major gift of $25,000 from Jonathan Fleece, President and CEO of Tidewell Hospice, and his wife Amy in honor of Amy’s mother who died when she and her brother were teenagers.

The Tidewell Family Grief Center in Ellenton is a first-of-its-kind facility in our region providing free holistic grief support for individuals, families and the community, including adult programs as well as Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly Program, the region’s only evidence-based grief program for children ages 5-18 and families who have experienced the loss of a parent, sibling or another significant person in their lives  The outdoor space of the Center and other features help create experiences essential to the healing of mind, body and spirit for children and adults after losing a loved one. 

“After Amy suddenly lost her mother at age 14, followed by us losing our first daughter many years later, we understand all too well how devastating grief can impact people’s lives,” said Jonathan and Amy Fleece. “Our labyrinth garden gift to Tidewell’s Blue Butterfly Program is made knowing that our support will help others find hope, peace and recovery at the Tidewell Ellenton Family Grief Center. We look forward to watching the labyrinth garden grow, bloom and blossom so that families will have a place to transition from feeling ‘lost’ to ‘found’ along their journeys.” 

The Tidewell Family Grief Center in Ellenton was made possible through a $1.1 million capital grant from the Tidewell Foundation, including a lead gift from the Eppard Family Foundation. All of the services and programs offered to the community through the Tidewell Family Grief Center are free to participants through the generosity of donors to the Tidewell Foundation. 

“The Tidewell Foundation is honored to receive this generous donation from Jonathan and Amy Fleece and their children,” said Tidewell Foundation President Debbie Mason. “Their gift funded the completion of the labyrinth garden at the Tidewell Family Grief Center, creating another healing outdoor space on our beautiful property that complements the wonderful therapeutic care families receive in the Center.”

For more information on the grief services available through the Tidewell Family Grief Center in Ellenton, and a calendar of grief support meetings, contact 941-845-3061 or visit tidewellhospice.org.Each year, Tidewell Hospice provides care for nearly 10,000 patients throughout its four-county service area of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. The Tidewell Foundation provides perpetual support for the world-class hospice and home health care of Tidewell Hospice, and grief services to ensure families and individuals receive the therapeutic help needed to navigate their very personal grief journeys after the death of loved ones. To make a donation to support the Tidewell Family Grief Center, visit tidewellfoundation.org/giving-opportunities/tidewell-family-grief-center-in-ellenton