Leslie Delp
Leslie Delp '77
Outstanding Service to Humanity

Leslie Deitrich Delp grew up on Main Street in Mechanicsburg, PA. She graduated from Mechanicsburg High School in 1977 and continued her education at Pennsylvania State University, earning a BA in Elementary Education. She married Ken Delp, her college sweetheart, and they started a family. Tragedy struck the young couple when their baby died. The loss of her first child, Kristopher Eric, left a gaping hole in the fabric of her family that would not be rewoven for decades. Ultimately, this loss led her to examine her future.

When her children started school, Leslie commenced working on a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology at Towson State University. Doing clinical work with terminally ill patients for her degree program helped Leslie to form her vision of working in the field of mental health, specializing in bereavement counseling. Administering compassionate care to hospice patients and their families at this crucial time in their lives, Leslie honed her skills as a therapist. Her Master’s thesis combined her elementary education background with her talents in the specialty of grief and loss. The product of blending these two components was Camp Mend-a-Heart, the first children’s grief camp in Pennsylvania. In 1995, Leslie received her Master of Arts degree and also was awarded the “Outstanding Psychology Graduate Student” for her work with this specialized population. Within weeks of walking across the stage, she opened Grief and Bereavement Services, a private counseling practice dedicated to developing in-depth bereavement support.

In honor of her grandmother, who had died of cancer, Leslie cofounded H.O.P.E., a volunteer non-profit organization which provided free support services to cancer patients and their families in southern York County. Shortly thereafter, she was invited to attend the grand opening of Gilda’s Clubhouse in New York City and met Gene Wilder and others, in hopes of building a cancer respite center for families in central Pennsylvania. These interactions ultimately resulted in formulating the concepts upon which her grief and loss center for children would be built. In 1996, the Hearts Can Heal program was created and was first held in a church basement.

With the unwavering support of her husband, Ken, and their children, Lyndsay and K.C., Leslie worked diligently to find a permanent home for the Hearts Can Heal program while educating the larger community about the unique needs of grieving children. In 2002, Olivia’s House: A Grief and Loss Center for Children, opened its doors at 830 South George Street in York.

Olivia’s House is an organization of caregiving professionals and volunteers committed to supporting grieving children and their families. Its purpose is to facilitate healing through grief and loss education. The mission has expanded to include grief centers in both York and Hanover. The innovative, no-cost programs that serve the grieving community in northern Maryland and south central Pennsylvania have received national recognition, and Leslie’s expertise is sought by grief and loss professionals throughout the country.

They say people who are successful often fill a need. Leslie Deitrich Delp did just that, and her vision of providing people, especially children, with the support they deserve after the death of a loved one is proof that she is dedicated to serving humanity.