Help Keep A Resting Place Open!

Help Keep A Resting Place Open!

Hello there,

My name is Derek Dizon and I am the owner and organizer of A Resting Place (ARP, @arestingplace.sea) a grass-roots community grief support center located in Seattle’s historic Chinatown-International District. ARP offers a free and comfortable space for people to explore their feelings of loss through grief support resources and activities.

I am reaching out to my community to ask for your help to ensure A Resting Place can stay open and continue providing free community centered grief support to the local Seattle area in 2024 and beyond. My goal is to raise $100,000 by July to secure rent, operations, much needed venue repairs, and program costs (see breakdown below). The $100,000 will allow ARP to continue doing the necessary work needed in our community. It takes all of us to hold this space and without your contribution, A Resting Place cannot exist.

Rent: $25,000

Operations: $ 15,000

Repairs: $30,000

Program costs: $30,000

Learn more about A Resting Place in the Seattle Times and International Examiner !

A Resting Place podcast conversation on Worldwide Underground with Gabriel Teodros.

Background Story

As a person who has experienced traumatic death, I have spent a majority of my life searching for meaning in my grieving journey. When I was 4 years old, my mother was murdered as she supported a friend who was surviving domestic violence in the early 1990s. During that time, many communities were not speaking openly about intimate partner violence and sexual assault, especially in immigrant communities. Despite there being limited resources, my mother supported her friend in accessing community and legal support. You can learn more about her story here .

In my adulthood, my grief continues and I still find myself searching for this meaning. However, this meaning-making from loss now has a home, A Resting Place. My mother and her friends continue to teach me that healthy relationships are what keep us safe. And when we are safe we can grieve in meaningful ways. A Resting Place is a peaceful space for people to rest their grieving hearts.

Since June 11th of 2023, ARP has served more than 1,000 community members who have accessed community grief support at A Resting Place. Examples of this include:

A Resting Place has been a pivotal sanctuary for grievers in our local community. Many guests who come to A Resting Place and express sentiments of gratitude, calm, and connection when stepping into the center. Oftentimes, visitors will name how unique and one of a kind A Resting Place is. Indeed, there is no other model that exists which provides community centered grief support in a culturally relevant way that is publicly accessible at no cost.

Give to A Resting Place today and be a part of this important moment of holding this sanctuary for grievers in our local community!