Denise Hankins
Denise Hankins began attending support groups shortly after the death of her son, Matthew on September 9, 2001. The support group and its individual members became important lifelines in her early days of grief.
Having experienced the difference the Jenna Druck Foundation made in her journey through grief, Denise felt strongly about reaching out to other bereaved parents just as others had been there for her. With a professional background in education, she decided to also become a certified bereavement facilitator.
Since that time, she has developed the popular Moms Support Group and Moms’ Night Out. In addition, she also co-facilitates the weekly parent support groups and a group for those who lost their loved ones on September 11, 2001.
She embraces every day by fully living to honor her son and best describes her time at the Foundation with the words of Sargeant Shriver “The most important thing I know about living is love. Nothing surpasses the benefits received by a human being who makes compassion and love the objective of his or her life. For it is only by compassion and love that anyone fulfills successfully their own life’s journey. Nothing equals love.”