When Grief Becomes a Calling

Last night I had the privilege of attending a fundraising event hosted by EFT Group in support of Bebe's Hive.

It was one of those evenings that stays with you long after you've gone home.

The room was filled with business owners, leaders, supporters and change-makers, but what struck me most wasn't their job titles or achievements. It was the shared desire to make a difference. These were people who genuinely care about the lives of others and the communities around them.

That is one of the things I admire most about EFT Group.

Whilst many organisations talk about social value, EFT actively invests in it. They don't simply write policies about community impact; they roll up their sleeves and support values-led organisations that are trying to create meaningful change.

As a social value partner, I have experienced that support first-hand.

Throughout the evening, Louise was her usual encouraging self, championing the work of others and creating opportunities for organisations like ours to be seen and heard. Jordan made us feel immediately welcome. In fact, Louise and Jordan went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable, inviting us to sit at their table so we weren't left wondering where to go or feeling like outsiders.

It might seem like a small gesture.

It wasn't.

It perfectly captured the culture they have created.

They genuinely care about the people they support.

The event itself was raising funds for Bebe's Hive, a remarkable organisation founded by Lauren and Ben following the loss of their beautiful daughter, Bebe.

As Lauren said during the evening, "we all know the story."

And we do.

We know the heartbreak.

We know the loss.

We know the unimaginable pain that sits behind the organisation.

But what struck me wasn't the tragedy.

It was the courage.

The courage to keep going.

The courage to speak about it.

The courage to build something that will help countless other families for years to come.

Listening to Lauren reminded me of a debate I recently took part in at college.

The discussion centred around grief and loss, and at one point the conclusion seemed to be that when people create something out of grief, it is because they are searching for a purpose.

As you can probably imagine, I had something to say about that.

Not because purpose isn't important.

But because I think that explanation is far too simplistic.

Yes, many incredible organisations are born from loss.

Hope's Therapy Dogs is a perfect example.

Without Hope's illness, her treatment journey, the people we met along the way and the impact that therapy dogs had on her life, Hope's Therapy Dogs would never have existed.

But I didn't wake up one day looking for a purpose.

I was already living one.

What happened was something very different.

I learned lessons I never wanted to learn.

I travelled a road I never wanted to walk.

I discovered strengths I never knew I had.

I experienced love in its deepest form and loss in its most devastating form.

And somewhere within that journey came a determination that what we had learned couldn't stop with us.

That Hope's life mattered.

That her story mattered.

That the things we had discovered could help others.

That isn't simply about purpose.

It's about responsibility.

It's about legacy.

It's about refusing to allow pain to have the final word.

For many founders of social impact organisations, the work isn't born because they need a purpose.

It's born because they have found a calling.

A calling they never knew existed until life placed it in front of them.

That is what I see in Lauren and Ben.

That is what I see in so many founders who are changing lives every single day.

People who have taken the hardest chapters of their lives and somehow turned them into hope for others.

Not because it is easy.

Not because it is profitable.

Not because somebody told them to.

But because they simply cannot ignore what they have learned.

Last night reminded me that there are extraordinary people all around us.

People quietly changing the world.

People creating something beautiful from the ashes of heartbreak.

People choosing compassion over bitterness.

Hope over despair.

Action over helplessness.

So congratulations to Lauren and Ben.

Congratulations to Bebe's Hive.

And thank you to EFT Group, Louise, Jordan and the entire team for continuing to champion organisations that exist to make a difference.

The world needs more people like you.

And perhaps that's the real lesson.

Sometimes grief doesn't give us a purpose.

Sometimes it reveals a calling.