Nurse Practitioner, philanthropist and book author Portia Effinger, is a strong mental health and wellness advocate, who specializes in grief as a Certified Grief Informed Professional (CGIP).
She is the owner of The Recharge Project Incorporated, founded in 2019 to provide a safe space around the Atlanta area for children to grieve and express their inquisitive feelings, surrounded by Grief Love.
Sharing my passion for grief has allowed me to become a grief coach, educator, international speaker, and now a published children's book author. Little Michael's Big Grief is a must-read and aids in extending my mission to stop the stigmas surrounding mental health and grief-centered conversations around the globe, says Portia.
Portia was one of the speakers at the Paulding Family Connection meeting in November 2023, in recognition of National Children's Grief Awareness Month. She recently donated a book (Little Michael's Big Grief) to each of the 19 elementary schools in Paulding County School District (PCSD) which was gratefully accepted by the school social workers on behalf of each elementary school.
Portia shared that in all her work, her greatest joy is having the opportunity to witness the impact her program has on the lives of the children, and seeing them and their families connect, support and bond with one another.
Portia concludes that it's okay to grieve out loud. Her website is therechargeproject.org

Portia Effinger (red jacket)
L to R: Ms. Beasley (PCSD Social Worker-SW), Dr. Quick (PCSD SW), Ms. Cayetano (PCSD SW), Ms. Cottrill (PCSD SW), Misty Cooksey (Ex Dir of Student Support), Ms. Hudson (PCSD SW) and Macarena Bazay (MSW Social Worker Intern-Kennesaw State University).