1. National Email to Campus Administration
Dear <name>,
I hope this email finds you well. I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and our organization,
National Students of AMF Support Network, as a <school> student, <student name>, has expressed
interest in starting a campus chapter there.
The mission of National Students of AMF is to support college students grieving the illness or death of a
loved one. We are NOT a counseling organization, but rather a collective of peer support groups on college
campuses. Our model of support was developed in conjunction with our Board of Mental Health
Professionals, which consists of many experts in the fields of college student bereavement and counseling,
as indicated by the list below.
BOARD OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
 Phil Meilman, PhD (Chair): Director of Counseling and Psychiatric Services, Georgetown University
 David Balk, PhD, FT: Professor, Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Brooklyn College
 R. Kelly Crace, PhD: Staff Psychologist, Duke University Counseling and Psychological Services
 Richard Kadison, MD: Chief of Mental Health Services, Harvard University Health Services
 Illene Noppe, PhD: Professor, Human Development/Psychology/Women's Studies, Institute on Dying,
Death and Bereavement, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
 Heather Servaty-Seib, PhD: Associate Professor, Counseling and Development, Department of
Educational Studies, Purdue University
 Tamina Toray, PhD: Professor, Psychology Division, Western Oregon University
 Jim Welsh, MD: Assistant Vice President for Student Health, Georgetown University Medical Center
The mission of each Students of AMF chapter is to provide peer support for college students grieving the
illness or death of a loved one and empower the campus community to take action through service.
Students of AMF campus chapters provide an environment where bereaved college students can relate to
peers facing similar situations; in essence, they are a “club” of students facing a unique challenge during
their college years. In addition to the support component, we have a service aspect to our chapters.
Chapter members and others they recruit in their campus community engage in service projects to
volunteer and raise awareness and funds for causes important to chapter members. This “pay it forward”
approach is not only empowering for the bereaved, but also has a positive impact on the community at
large and allows friends who would otherwise not know how to “help” the bereaved student an opportunity
to take action.
We currently have <37> official (university-recognized) chapters, with many more in development. Each
chapter is started at the request of a student, and we require that they have faculty/administration
support to move forward. We find that our best chapters are those that are closely aligned with the office
of the dean of students or counseling services and have an engaged faculty or staff advisor. Additionally,
each chapter must be officially recognized as a student organization before we will allow meetings to
begin.
Our chapters are not intended to replace counseling. Actually, in our experience, students tend to be more
open to professional counseling when they become comfortable sharing with their peers. For students who
express interest in starting chapters, we try to make sure they are in a place to move forward (and we’ve
encountered many who aren’t) as the chapters can take time to get off the ground and we don’t want to
set someone up for disappointment or feelings of failure that compound their grief. Additionally, we ask
that our chapters establish strong lines of communication with campus counseling, campus ministry,
residential life, and faculty.
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2. National Email to Campus Administration
Here at the national organization we provide support with respect to facilitation, support group topics, how
to use and promote resources on your campus, marketing the chapter, service projects, and many other
topics. Additionally, National Students of AMF hosts the National Conference on College Student Grief and
National College Student Grief Awareness Week each year. Our website, www.studentsofamf.org, also
serves as a resource to those seeking information on college student bereavement.
I would welcome an opportunity to chat with you further about Students of AMF. If you’d like, I can also
have a member of our Board of Mental Health Professionals get in touch with you to discuss starting a
Students of AMF chapter at <school>, and I can put you in touch with faculty/administration at other
schools where chapters exist.
Thank you in advance for your support of Students of AMF at <school>. Please do not hesitate to contact
me with questions.
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