10/16/2026
Every name has a story. Here’s ours. 💜
Before there was Billy’s Place, there was Juli, Mike and their little boy, Billy.
Mike was charismatic, silly and one of those people everybody seemed to love. He and Juli laughed…. a lot. And when Billy came along, Mike absolutely adored him.
When Billy was just 15 months old, Mike died suddenly in a car accident. Hundreds and hundreds of people came to his wake and funeral, a reflection of just how many people loved him.
And then Juli and Billy had to figure out how to keep living without him.
As Billy got older, his grief started showing up in bigger ways. Around age three, he became angry and began acting out. Juli knew they needed help.
That search took them to a grief support center in Wisconsin.
One tour. One group night. And something changed.
Billy found other kids who understood. Juli found other parents who understood. They found a place where they didn’t have to explain their grief or figure it all out by themselves.
And Juli never forgot what that felt like.
Years later, after moving to Arizona, she wanted other families to have that same kind of place. So in 2012, she created one.
She called it Billy’s Place and it was meant to honor kids like Billy - kids whose lives are forever changed when someone they love dies.
It was created from pain, absolutely. But it was also created from love, laughter and a whole lot of HOPE.
Today, Juli continues her service of walking alongside grieving families, just as someone once walked alongside her and Billy. And that little boy in these pictures has done quite a bit of growing up. 🧡
So when you hear the name Billy’s Place, there’s a whole story tucked inside it.
💙 A dad who loved his little boy like crazy.
💜 A mom who turned what she learned into something for others.
🧡 And a kid whose grief helped inspire a place where thousands of others have found their people.
That’s the story behind our name.
That’s Billy’s Place.
