Olivia's House: A Grief and Loss Center for Children

Olivia's House began with the concept of "Hearts Can Heal," a program designed by Founder and Bereavement Specialist Leslie Delp, M.A. Leslie, a psychologist specializing in bereavement therapy, recognized the need children and their families had during the difficult time after the death of a loved one. From just one program facilitated in a rented space in 1996, Olivia's House has grown. On September 30, 2002, Olivia's House purchased the property located at 830 South George Street to officially become the state's first independent free-standing grief center for children and teens. In 2007, Olivia's House was spotlighted in the thirteenth season of the award winning PBS docu-series, The Visionaries. Along with national exposure for our mission, Olivia's House was recognized as one of the premier grief centers in the nation! Our in-house children's studio space, The Confessional, was designed in 2010 in cooperation with our longtime friend and Emmy award-winning director/producer, Tom Shortridge, and MTV Real World castmate, Ashlee Feldman. The Confessional is a fully equipped production studio available for our program families to utilize throughout their bereavement journey. Despite our expansive success and best efforts in serving the needs of grieving children in York County, we heard from many who wished there was a center closer in proximity to serve Hanover, Adams County and northern Maryland. Purposefully planned to coincide with National Children’s Grief Awareness Day, Olivia’s House Hanover held its official ribbon cutting on November 21, 2013. As we look towards our many tomorrows, we are humbled and ever grateful for everyone who has made this grief center such a success. Leslie had a simple philosophy when building this cherished mission. It permanently adorns the wall in our "feelings-bowling hallway," as true today as it was in 1996...BELIEVE!!!!