Q&A with Gretchen Gearin, Volunteer of the Year

Sharing Kindness is fortunate to have wonderful volunteers who donate their time and effort to help our nonprofit thrive. One of those volunteers is Gretchen Gearin, who serves as a volunteer co-facilitator for peer grief support groups, assists with grant writing, and much more. We’ve named Gretchen our Volunteer of the Year for 2025 in recognition of her outstanding work!

SK: Where on the Cape do you live?

GG: I am currently half time in Osterville and half time in Amelia Island, Florida.  We have been spending summers here in Osterville since 1996.

SK: How did you first become involved with Sharing Kindness? 

GG: I heard about Sharing Kindness from the Suicide Awareness Walk and saw that they were looking for volunteers, so I contacted Kathleen [Shine-O’Brien, Director of Clinical Services] and attended training to become a volunteer co-facilitator in October 2023.

SK: What is your volunteer experience outside of SK? 

GG: I was always involved with fundraising as well as other volunteer activities at my children’s schools (Kingsley Montessori in Boston and Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City). When I stopped working and my kids left for college, I began searching for ways to get involved in my community. In addition to Sharing Kindness, I serve on the board of directors as the clerk for WellStrong, a wellness center for people in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD).

SK: What motivated you to volunteer? Is there something about the SK mission that resonates with you?  

GG: We raised our kids in a tight-knit community in Kansas City. Over the course of four years, three students from my son’s hockey team died by suicide. Two additional students/friends died from accidental overdoses. It was a terrible series of tragedies that rippled through the community affecting parents, grandparents, siblings, classmates, teachers, coaches, as well as their church, school, and sports communities. I felt at a loss as to how to help my teenage children through their grief and how to support the families who lost their children. This experience made me passionate about suicide awareness and prevention. 

SK: What are some of the things you’ve learned from your experiences as a co-facilitator of peer grief support groups?

GG: I’ve witnessed first-hand the power of groups. Whether it’s children who’ve lost a parent or parents who’ve lost a child – both unimaginable tragedies – there is healing in the grief groups. It’s helpful to be with other people with the same shared experience, because they talk about complicated feelings and emotions that are only truly understood by those who have experienced it.

SK: How do you feel this organization fills a need on the Cape & Islands?

GG: SK fills so many gaps on the Cape and Islands. With higher-than-average suicide rates in Barnstable, bringing Hope Squad to the middle and high schools is key for suicide awareness and prevention for our teenagers and for improved overall mental health.

Having grief support for people who’ve lost a child from suicide and for people who’ve lost a child to SUD or other causes really helps the community heal. The people who come to group feel valued and cared for and they build their own network and community with the other member of the group.

The annual Suicide Awareness Walk is a great way to get the word out to more people in our community who may be struggling themselves or who may have lost someone to suicide to see that they are not alone.