KARA

Kara is a nonprofit organization serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1976. Our services are provided primarily by volunteers who have experience in healing from personal loss. With the aid of professional staff and ongoing training, Kara's volunteers facilitate others' journeys during life-threatening illness and bereavement. We are supported primarily by tax-deductible donations from individuals (current clients, past clients, supporters), foundations and corporations. Kara' s founding is rooted in the early 1970s, when a growing awareness swept through the United States, England and other countries that the way contemporary society handled death, based in the medical establishment, was inadequate. The seminal work of Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and the emerging hospice movement stimulated discussions about death and dying in Palo Alto and other communities. Today over 150 volunteers provide services that support those who are grieving, dying or anticipating the death of a loved one. Kara has come a long way since the fledgling group of 17 volunteers began the service. Yet it remains true to its roots, dedicated to the healing process of supporting people during times of grief and loss.