About
Our mission
Casey’s Place is a non-profit charitable corporation for children and teens, ages seven to seventeen, who have experienced the loss of a parent/guardian. The goal of Casey’s Place is to help children navigate their grief journey by creating a community of peers allowing them to realize they are not alone and to embrace their new normal. No one should grieve alone.
Casey’s story
“Grief is like a snowflake. Each snowflake is different and everyone shows grief differently.”
Born and raised in Rockport, Massachusetts, Casey was passionate about her community and giving back to it.
She worked in Rockport’s school system, led its Girl Scouts of America troop, and every year, helped organize the town’s Memorial Day parade, in addition to dedicating her time and energy to many other local community activities throughout Rockport and Cape Ann.
Sadly, Casey was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of only 39. Though she bravely fought the disease, Casey lost her battle shortly after turning 44. Her children—the pride and joy of her heart—were young adults in their early twenties when she died.
Casey’s Place was created by Elizabeth Brooks in honor of her mother.
After losing her mom, Elizabeth moved to Georgia to earn her degree and practice law. While there, she spent over eight years as a volunteer supporting Atlanta-area children experiencing the loss of a parent or guardian. It was through this experience that Elizabeth learned firsthand how kids benefited from being part of a community of their peers.
In January of 2021, Elizabeth returned home to Rockport, passionate about creating the same supportive and caring peer community for area children and teens grieving the loss of a parent or guardian. Following in her mother’s community-oriented footsteps, she founded Casey’s Place in the hope that members find a community of peers to walk through their grief journey with and embrace their new normal.
Board of Directors
Elizabeth Brooks, Founder and President
Elizabeth grew up in Rockport with her family. Both parents served Rockport in different capacities, instilling in Elizabeth early on the importance of giving back to one’s community. When Elizabeth was 16, Casey was diagnosed with breast cancer. She passed away four years later. Elizabeth went on to graduate from Boston’s Northeastern University, move to Georgia and earn a law degree. Professionally, she is licensed to practice law in the states of Georgia and Massachusetts, and is currently a Medicaid compliance manager.
During her time in the South, Elizabeth honored her mother’s love of community by volunteering for numerous organizations throughout the greater Atlanta area. It was during her time spent supporting kids and teens who’d lost a parent or sibling, however, that gave Elizabeth the most fulfillment. Upon returning home to Rockport in January of 2021, Elizabeth founded Casey's Place as a way to honor her mother and give back to the community Casey had loved and served her whole life.
Elizabeth Buswick
Elizabeth went to high school in Rockport and still resides on the North Shore of Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Boston University, and currently works with an early intervention program serving children from birth to three years of age. She met Elizabeth in high school and the two have remained close friends ever since. Elizabeth is looking forward to helping honor Casey’s memory by helping to create a safe space where kids can grieve.
Stephanie Dehner
Stephanie moved from New Jersey to Rockport when she was in the third grade. Some of her earliest Rockport memories include Girl Scout meetings held in Casey’s attic, campouts in her backyard, and hot summer days spent at Front Beach being watched over by the "circle of moms", of which Casey was a presiding member. Stephanie now lives in Newburyport, MA, along with her husband and two sons, and works for Deloitte. She considers herself lucky to count Elizabeth as a lifelong friend and is eager to honor Casey’s memory by serving the community she loved so dearly.
Paige Eaton
Paige is a Rockport native, and has fond memories of summer beach days with Casey and her children. She has an educational background in Counseling and Human Development (M.Ed. Boston University, ’98), as well as over 10 years of experience working closely with a broad range of nonprofit organizations. She currently serves as the associate director of website development for a global educational nonprofit organization based in Boston, MA. She was inspired to join the Casey’s Place board to help Elizabeth honor Casey’s memory, and to give back to the community that raised her.
DaCara Brown Myers
DaCara has been an advocate and champion of young people for more than twenty years, and is a believer that children have the heart of God. She began working in youth community centers and in public schools while still in college, and has continued that work since graduating from law school and returning to her hometown, where she serves as Administrative Attorney and Grant Project Director for the Richmond County Juvenile Court, part of the Augusta, Georgia Judicial Circuit. DaCara continues to work with youth in her church and community, and has even gone on to found her own nonprofit serving youth in the Central Savannah River Area through education enrichment programs and community outreach. She also co-founded the Thrive program benefiting youth served by the Juvenile Court of Richmond County. DaCara and Liz have been friends since they met in Law School and Liz ultimately moved to her hometown after law school where they worked together and Liz continued her work with youth and community.
Elizabeth Simon
Liz grew up in Rockport and continues to have strong community ties to Cape Ann through friends and family who live in the area. She works as a corporate in-house attorney for a renewable energy company in Boston’s MetroWest area, and currently resides in Natick, MA, with her husband and two sons. Liz was inspired to join the Casey’s Place board as a way to honor Casey’s life and memory, as well as to support Elizabeth in her efforts to establish Casey’s Place and serve the Cape Ann community.
Casey's Place provides a free peer community for children and teens, ages 7-17, who have experienced the death of a parent or guardian.
We are currently serving the communities of Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Rockport.
Now Accepting
Members
Volunteers Needed
Casey's Place is seeking caring adults (21+) to volunteer. You don't need to have experienced the loss of a parent or guardian, you just need to be open to helping children and teens on their grief journey.