Dustin's Place finds new home at LifePlex

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 1:56 AM

By Wes Dehne

Sledgehammers were swung Monday at LifePlex in Plymouth to commemorate the start of renovations on a new home for Dustin's Place, a free grief support center for children and families.

Even more significant to the occasion was a moving speech delivered by the nonprofit's co-founder and executive director, Viki Brown. She created the organization in honor of her late husband, Dustin, who was killed in a car crash while coming home from work in 2016.

Brown held back tears as best as she could while acknowledging that many in attendance were also there for the organization's ribbon-cutting ceremony 5 years ago.

"So many of your faces were there, and you have been there consistently since Day 1," she said. "You have showed up, you have supported, you have sponsored and you have prayed for us since the very beginning. That is what has kept us moving forward. That is what makes us different."

Overwhelmed by the community's support and the opportunity to serve more grieving children, Brown noted that the organization's vision is much bigger now, thanks to its new space.

"We still stand that no child should grieve alone, but today this space will allow to say that no child will ever grieve alone," she said.

As a parent of three grieving children, she recalled trying to find them help and being told it was a 10-month wait. Later, she would learn it was $150 to get them the grief support that they needed.

"I thought that's unacceptable," she said of the experience. "Today, we stand in this space saying, 'No longer will that be.'

"No longer will we have a waitlist for children to receive the grief support that they need, no longer will families have to wonder how am I going to afford the grief support that my family needs because we will offer grief support at no cost, with no waitlist, to every family that needs us, when they need us, right here at Dustin's Place."

Jamie Beckwith, treasurer for the nonprofit, shared that Plymouth Community Church has been generous to allow the organization to operate there over the last 5 years. She went on to thank LifePlex owners Dr. Byron and Mary Holm for their generosity, as well as those who have donated and volunteered, to make the move a possibility.

"The United Way here in Marshall County and the statewide United Way really helped kick off this campaign by awarding us a $316,000 grant that was a matching grant to help build out this space," she said.

Momentum only grew from there, with the organization raising $35,000 at its gala earlier this year. There have been multiple other shows of support since then.

"From the Vera Dwyer Charitable Trust, the Marshall County Council, the Marshall County Health Department, Culver Town Council, Bourbon Town Council, the Marshall County Community Foundation and the Plymouth City Council, without their support we wouldn't be able to be here today," Beckwith said. "Every donation, whether it's $25 or $25,000, makes a huge difference in us finishing this project. We've come so far, we just need a little bit more to push us across the finish line."

Matt VanSoese, project designer with Ancon Construction, detailed plans for the 6,700-square-foot space that Dustin's Place will soon call home. Over five months, the build includes an art expression room, group rooms, a conference room, a family dining space and lounge, offices and individual counseling space. Taking a page from The Dougy Center in Portland, it also will feature a padded "volcano room," where children with explosive feelings can punch the walls or pillows and rip and throw things safely.

"We're very excited to play a small role in this endeavor, this journey with Dustin's Place," VanSoese said, adding that it's especially meaningful for him as he lost his father 25 years ago at the age of 12 and didn't have such support outside of family and church.

"It hits hard, it hits home, and this is a project that Ancon is going to be very proud to be part of," he said. "Unfortunately, grief, loss and death are all part of our lives, but Dustin's Place here is that beacon of hope, that beacon of healing."

Mary Holm shared her excited in not only partnering with Dustin's Place, but also in sharing a mutual mission.

"LifePlex is here to help the people of this community and beyond our community to have better quality of life and reach their God-given potential, and that is exactly what Dustin's Place is doing," she said. "We've wondered often why this space has remained vacant for the last 20 years, and now I know why, because Viki and Dustin's Place was to be here."

During renovations, Dustin's Place will continue offering grief support groups every other Monday night at Plymouth Community Church. Dinner starts at 6 p.m., and groups run from 6:30-7:45 p.m.

Once in its new space, Dustin's Place will have daytime hours and grief support groups, individual counseling, weekend workshops and more. Additionally, its staff is expected to increase with the need.

Those interested in learning more about Dustin's Place can visit its website at www.dustinsplace.org or call 574-529-0528.