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- About the Wendt Center
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About the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing
Founded in 1975 as the St. Francis Burial and Counseling Society, Inc., the Society's early goals were to provide dignified and economically acceptable alternatives to commercially available funeral services, and focus burial rites around the needs of the dying person and their family. In 1978, the Society obtained tax exemption and in 1979 was renamed the St. Francis Center.
The Center has progressed from a consulting agency for funeral planning and burial information to its present, non-sectarian, comprehensive program of counseling, education, research, consultation, grief camp, crisis response and volunteer support. In 1999 the Center was renamed as the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing — a name which reflects our mission and pays homage to our founder, the Reverend William A. Wendt.
The Wendt Center has an established Board of Directors, composed of local, business and community leaders and an Advisory Council of national civic leaders and experts in the field of death, life threatening illness and trauma. In addition, licensed, master's-level therapists, psychiatric consultants, graduate-level counseling interns and trained and supervised volunteers work with the Center's various programs and provide direct services to the community.
Since 2002 the Wendt Center has been a member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network consisting of the leading practitioners and researchers in the field of child trauma throughout the country. In addition, in 2003 the Wendt Center was recognized by the Catalogue of Philanthropy as one of the best charities in the Washington, DC region.
