The Vineyard nonprofit Men’s Bereavement Group is expanding to a national focus, aiming to make the American public aware of the unique requirements of men grieving the loss of a spouse or life partner. The bereavement group has appointed Frederick H. Spero as the executive director and is launching the Men’s Bereavement Network Web site, mensbereavement.org.

The group was organized in August last year by several Vineyard men encountering difficulty obtaining appropriate support from mixed-gender group sessions after the loss of their spouses. Research recognizes that men grieve differently from women; this is especially acute when men face the loss of a spouse or life partner. Faced with the loss of a spouse or partner, women may feel abandoned, rejected and betrayed, research suggests, but men report feeling more lonely, lost, dismembered and numb. They tend to seek activity and coping skills while women are more likely to speak of their emotions and seek affiliations with other women. Mixed-gender bereavement groups often find it difficult to address issues that concern and support men.

Based on the positive feedback and experiences from the Vineyard men’s bereavement support group, the board is seeking to heighten awareness and promote the establishment of other groups. The group’s expanded mission plan focuses sharply on a role to educate the public about the unique needs of men during the bereavement process. The plans call for national contact and active advocacy with appropriate organizations, government agencies and professional associations. The objective beyond greater awareness is to create an atmosphere that facilitates the opening of men’s bereavement support groups in local communities across the country and stimulates research about men’s grief and ways to support their needs during bereavement.

Sam Feldman, president of the Men’s Bereavement Group, Inc., says, “Learning of the need for bereavement support groups focusing on men, from a firsthand experience, was the impetus to form our group last year. We are now starting a concerted effort to educate and inform the public about the need for men’s bereavement support groups. We hope, as we start to aggressively advocate the importance of men’s bereavement support groups, we will see many more spring up across the country creating a network of men’s bereavement support groups. To lead us towards our goal we have appointed Frederick Spero to serve as our executive director.”

Mr. Spero has a 33-year business background with Dun & Bradstreet, serving in management and staff capacities at national and international levels. After retiring, he was instrumental in establishing a nonprofit cultural organization that experienced significant growth and is now self-sustaining

For more information, see online mensbereavement.org or conact Mr. Spero at 800-309-3658 or via e-mail to fspero@mensbereavement.org.