Growing Through It : Reflections On Our First Two Years

Written By: Marie Brandon, BSN, RN, Certified Grief Educator

The Culmination of 2 Years of Blood, Sweat, and Tears

On February 22, 2025, Gloves for Grief reached a major milestone—our 2-year anniversary!

We were blessed to have over 50 attendees join us, showing up not only for us but for themselves. To commemorate the occasion, we enhanced our signature Box and Breathe event with meaningful moments and special mementos. The afternoon began with a heartfelt message from our co-founder and president, Terra, followed by a mindfulness moment and soul connection exercise, before transitioning into the body segment with boxing. As always, we closed with prayer and speaking our loved one’s names, but this time, we marked the milestone with a beautiful candlelight ceremony. With the lights dimmed low, every attendee was invited to speak their loved one’s name and place a tealight upon our remembrance table. The ceremony commenced with Karen reading her poem Today —a poignant reminder to give ourselves grace, forgiveness, and permission to continue living a meaningful and significant life, while carrying our loved ones with us. With the weight of grief a little lighter, we moved into the refreshment and community segment of our event —one of the most cherished aspects of Gloves for Grief. Here, attendees connected sharing stories with each other—not just about how our loved ones died, but how they lived and impacted our lives. In addition to heartfelt conversations and delicious refreshments, guests left with gift bags, journals for self-expression, and a signed copy of Karen Badal Hacker’s book 8:28-Hope In The Darkness.

Here are a few more highlights from our event:

As we celebrate how far we’ve come, I invite you to join me as we take a look back at our humble beginnings.

How It All Began

Co-founders Terra Pickett and Ashley Guarrasi met through Empty Arms, a support group for individuals and families grieving the loss of a baby due to miscarriage, still birth, and infant death. Inspired by a deep desire to transform their pain into purpose, Terra felt a calling to create something meaningful to support others navigating grief. With their shared pain of infant loss, a passion to help others, and Ashley’s decade of boxing expertise, Gloves for Grief was born. What started as a small gathering of just 7 attendees at the first Box and Breathe event on February 7, 2023, has grown beyond anything we could have imagined.

The Core of Our Mission: Our Box & Breathe Wellness Events

Grief is a journey that looks different for everyone, but one thing remains true—it demands to be felt. One of the many feelings experienced during grief is anger.  While it’s commonly recognized as the second stage of grief, we know that grief isn’t linear. It ebbs and flows, and anger can resurface when you least expect it. That’s where we come in.

From the very beginning, healing through movement has been at the core of our mission. I’ve been involved with G4G since November 11, 2023, and I’ve learned firsthand that sometimes the only way to release anger about my son’s death is to punch it out. It’s been incredible to witness so many of you embrace healing through movement at our Box & Breathe events.

In just two years, Gloves for Grief has become an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, hosted 12 public Box and Breathe events, 2 private events, and traveled twice to Porterville to host the annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Event.  We’ve traveled more than 500 miles, supported over 1,000 grieving individuals, held an art grief workshop, and launched our first 6-week Grief Through the Holidays program. We were able to purchase 25 personalized punching bags through generous donations and have been recognized by the City of Mission Viejo for our work in the community.

But we’re not stopping here. Our mission is expanding—reaching schools, at-risk youth communities, and forming partnerships with like-minded nonprofits to extend our impact even further. As we continue to grow, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of our most memorable wellness events—moments that remind us why we do this and the strength we’ve found in this community.

A Look Back on a Year of Healing, Strength, and Connection

On February 17, 2024, we reached a significant milestone, mobilizing our team and punching bags to travel 200 miles north to Porterville for the first annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Event. This special gathering honored Patrick Jones, Ray Figueroa, Damien Pereira and all fallen firefighters, bringing their families, friends, and community together in remembrance and resilience.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be especially difficult for those who have lost a child or a parent. Last June, we held our first Father’s Day Box and Breathe event, recognizing the importance of creating a safe space for men to grieve and feel supported. The turnout was incredible, reinforcing the need for these spaces of brotherhood and fellowship.

Last August, we had the privilege of hosting a private wellness event for The Shea Center in memory of their beloved equine specialist and friend, Heidi. The Shea Center, a fellow nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in San Juan Capistrano, CA, provides equine assisted services to individuals addressing over 85 physical, emotional, social, and cognitive challenges. It was an honor to contribute to their healing journey.

To close out the summer, we organized a two-day Box and Breathe event at the Samueli Academy in collaboration with The Orangewood Foundation. The first evening was a private event for the Samueli Academy students, including fostered youth that attend and are housed at the academy. The following day, they opened their doors again to the community for a second Box and Breathe event.

In October, we took our Box and Breathe event out for the night, joining Enerji Under the Stars and Project Eli for a special evening featured barre instruction, boxing, pickleball, dancing, and great food.  This early Halloween celebration was a powerful reminder that healing happens in community.

The holiday season can be particularly difficult for those who are grieving, including children. While we welcome kids at all our events, last December we hosted our first kid’s only event, Jingle Bell Jab. Thanks to the generosity of Rudy’s Christmas Trees, we created a special festive, supportive space for children navigating loss during the holidays.

These 6 special events were in addition to our regularly scheduled Box and Breathe community events. Together, we are more than boxing—we are a movement of healing, strength, and connection.

Connecting Beyond Boxing

While Box and Breathe remains at the heart of our mission, we are committed to providing year-round support for the mind and soul, not just the body. Through workshops and community collaborations, we continue to create spaces of healing and connection.

In December 2023, we hosted our first therapeutic art workshop, where 20 attendees created keepsake ornaments in honor of their loved ones.

July brought a fun-filled day with The Angels. We had a day of community including tailgating, food, music, games, running the bases and of course—baseball.

During Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September, we joined the OCAPICA Made for All K-Pop event, providing support and resources for those struggling with mental health challenges related to grief.

As October brought cooler temperatures, we joined Forever Footprints at the OC Walk to Remember. A cause close to our hearts, Forever Footprints supports families who have suffered a pregnancy or infant loss. The annual Walk to Remember provides families and friends a day of remembrance and the opportunity to walk the steps their babies will never take. We were honored to stand alongside grieving families and offer additional support and resources.

The holidays often bring heightened emotions of grief, which is why in November of 2024, we expanded our art workshop from the previous year into our  first-ever six-week grief workshop, Holding Your Hands Through the Holidays. Meeting once a week, we created a space filled with community, activities, and shared understanding to help navigate this challenging season. These workshops are just the beginning of providing long-term grief support to all who need it.

Community Strength and Gratitude

When we first started, we didn’t even own a single pair of gloves. Today, thanks to the generosity of our incredible partners, we own all our equipment. This is a game-changer. While we are based in Orange County, CA,  grief knows no geographical boundaries.  Owning 25 punching bags allows us to mobilize and bring healing wherever it’s needed most.

G4G wants to extend a heartfelt thank you to our corporate bag sponsors: BBSI, First Pacific Bank, Apriem Cares, Colab Space, Genesis Bank, and NPT. As well as our personal bag sponsors: Rob & Brinda Guarrasi, Jeff and Candy Mack, Brenda Crawford, Ray Bacchus, Cindy Wilbur, Marie Brandon, Ashley Adelizi, Rick and Karen Hacker (on behalf of Empty Arms and 8:28/ Hope in the Darkness), Charlene Geselowitz, and many others.

Your belief in our mission keeps us moving forward, and we are endlessly grateful for your support.

June 2024 was a month of recognition and blessings for our organization. Our founder and President, Terra, was honored with the Resilience Award and recognized as an Inspirational Member by the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce for her dedication to this cause. G4G was also the recipient of the Healthy Living grant from City of Hope, further affirming the impact of our work. These honors are not just for Terra; they are for all of us — the resilience, courage, and love that each of you brings to this community.

Here’s How You Can Help

We can’t do this without you.  As we prepare for another year of impact, we need your ongoing support to continue building this community and expanding our reach.

Here’s how you can make a lasting difference:

• Join our monthly giving community: While we now own our equipment, there are still many expenses. Your ongoing support ensures that we can transport our equipment and provide Box and Breathe events, host healing workshops, and provide grief resources year-round.
• Stay involved: Attend our events, share your story, and invite others to join this space of healing.
• Volunteer: Your time, love, and energy are what truly make this community thrive. There is always an opportunity to help at one of our events. We would love to welcome you into our family.

This organization, born out of loss, has become a gift of light, love, and hope to so many.

Together we will continue to shine a light in the darkest of times.

Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey. We look forward to all that’s to come in 2025.