Rowan’s Fund provides support for families facing the heartbreaking loss of a child
The loss of a child is something no family should ever have to experience. At Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, we stand beside families enduring a pain no parent should ever have to face. With unwavering compassion, we honor each family’s grief, their strength, and their lasting love. No one should walk this path alone—and we are here to ensure they never do.
In 2024, RMCHF supported 158 families facing the unimaginable. Each of these families had to say goodbye far too soon. Standing beside each family in their worst moments were compassionate care teams, who not only guided families through their grief but carried their own sorrow as well.
Thanks to the generosity of Rowan’s family, friends, and the community they inspired, Rowan’s Fund provides vital support in these darkest moments. The fund provides comfort and resources to grieving families, equips care teams with tools to continue their work while navigating their own emotions, and helps create lasting spaces to honor and remember the children who are gone—but never forgotten.
What Rowan’s Fund Supports
Assistance for bereaved families
Direct support for families navigating the loss of their child, whether they were an infant or finishing high school. Support includes burials, cremations, urns, death certificates, fingerprint charms, and transportation of remains.
Grief and loss training for healthcare teams
Specialized trainings with licensed clinical psychologists for healthcare providers who walk with families through the loss of their child. Helping healthcare professionals navigating supporting families through loss while also prioritizing their own well being.
Other big projects
Projects that provide comfort and support for families experiencing loss, including Rowan’s Zen Den, Memorial Garden at Rocky Mountain Children’s, the Willow Room, and the NICU waiting room.
Rowan’s Story
Rowan’s Fund was created to honor the life of Rowan Glenn Endsley, a sweet baby boy who arrived about a month early and spent all ten days of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Rocky Mountain Children’s.
During those brief but profoundly meaningful days, his parents, Sean and Shelley, experienced everything from pure joy to deep heartbreak. In their most fragile moment, the compassion and unwavering support of the care team at the hospital became their lifeline—a constant source of strength, reminding them that they were never alone.
After experiencing this compassionate care, the Endsleys wanted to honor their son in a meaningful way and asked how they could give back and celebrate his memory. The hospital connected them with Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, and together, with the support of their network of friends and family, the Endsleys raised the funds needed to create Rowan’s Zen Den at RMC.
That feeling of community and love became the motivation for creating Rowan’s Fund, a project within Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation. Knowing that, sadly, many families face similar heartbreaking journeys, Rowan’s Fund ensures that other families have the support they need when facing the hardest moments in their lives.
The Need is Increasing
Rowan’s Fund aims to meet the devastating, growing need for bereavement support.
Support Families in Their Hardest Moments
By making a gift to Rowan’s Fund, you are supporting families through the most difficult moments of their lives. Your generosity helps ensure that both these families and the care teams who walk beside them receive the support they need as they navigate the grief of losing a child.
Stories of Loss and Hope
• • • • • •
Each year we support families who have experienced the loss of a child. Below are some stories of our community who have all walked a similar path of loss. Each story is unique, and grief looks different for every family. We stand alongside them and honor each of their unique journeys navigating the loss of a child. Our hope is that in hearing these stories others will know that they are not alone.
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Share Your Story
At RMCHF we know that sometimes sharing your story can be healing for families experiencing the loss of a child. If you have a story that you would like to share, we would be honored to hear it.