CLEVELAND — Rivers in the Desert, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals navigate grief following unexpected deaths due to violence, suicide, or overdose, is hosting an official launch and dedication event for its mobile trauma units—RVs they call The Healing Room.
The public is invited to attend the free event happening Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Shaker Square, located at 13206 Shaker Boulevard in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Tonight is a sacred pause. We’ve been doing the work, but we never took the time to reflect and share our story with the broader community,” said co-founder Sharri Thomas. She added that the event serves as an opportunity to meet and connect with residents, fundraise, and build partnerships.
In November 2024, I spoke with Thomas, a former Maple Heights city council member who launched Rivers in the Desert after a double murder occurred in front of her home in Maple Heights in 2021.
“This begins the healing process immediately. People have a place to release their trauma— out of their hearts, minds, and bodies,” Thomas said. Since our first report, the organization has acquired a second RV.
As visitors enter The Healing Room, they are welcomed by soft music and a pleasant aroma, encouraging conversations that get to the heart of grief. The Healing Room provides free access to peer support, case managers, and social workers who can meet people at the scene of a tragedy or wherever they may be.
Thomas noted that disenfranchised and disinvested communities often lack access to or the financial means for counseling following unexpected deaths, such as murder, overdose, or suicide.
When I met with her this past November, she emphasized that their work is saving lives and helping to prevent retaliatory crimes.
“If you look at a community where you see one murder, followed by three or four more, many times these are retaliatory murders,” Thomas said. “People don’t have a place to process their pain. So yes, this could save not only the life of the bereaved family member but also the lives of others in the community.”
In the aftermath of April’s tragic shooting of a teenager inside the Shaker Heights Public Library, Thomas noted that The Healing Room has offered support once a week in the library’s parking lot, serving more than 35 individuals, mostly youth, seeking services.
