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Two Years After Son's Death, Montgomery County Mother Opens Grief Center

By Walt Hunter

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) –A Montgomery County mother who lost her son in a car crash two years ago this week is now reaching out in a special way to help other bereaved parents.

Shirley Johnson, whose 27-year-old son Tripp died on February 17, 2010, will open the "Wings of Hope" Grief Center tomorrow.

Johnson, who has decorated the meeting room with puffy clouds and angel wings, says she hopes to offer, in her words, a "cup of courage" to grieving parents who seek counseling with her.

Tripp died when the car he was riding in was rammed by a school bus. The driver of the school bus, who is now serving a prison sentence, was seen blowing past ten stop signs before the bus--loaded with 45 children--was involved in the fatal crash.

Johnson, who says for months after Tripp's death she was overwhelmed by grief, studied hard to get her certification as a grief counselor in just nine months.

To learn more, visit www.wingsofhopegriefcenter.com.

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