The Great Circle Collaborative

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The Great Circle Collaborative TGCC is a landing zone for individuals and grass roots organizations in S. WI who focus on building awareness around matters related to end-of-life.

Our goal is to help people access resources and gain skills related to aging, illness, death, and grief. The Great Circle Collaborative is a small grass-roots group of individuals and organizations centered in the Madison, WI area, who have come together to raise awareness about preparing for and experiencing the end of life (EOL). Ultimately, our purpose is to help people become more familiar with matters related to aging, illness, death, and grief, and to gain understanding and skill around these things in order to live and die well. We do this by offering various resources, networking opportunities, and hosting various events in and around southern Wisconsin. This includes group meetings for local end-of-life doulas/death doulas, hospice and other health-care workers, as well as members of the general public. For six years (prior to the pandemic), we hosted monthly Community Conversations on Death and Dying (CCDD). Loosely modeled after Death Cafe gathering, these are informal gatherings offering people the opportunity to talk about the often uncomfortable subject of death. Soon, we hope to offer these discussions again on Zoom. Additional offerings are in the works--including more group meetings of EOL doulas and home funeral guides in the area to explore collaborative opportunities. Several of our members are working on educational/training programs, presentations, and workshops, for those wishing to learn more about how to improve their ability to "be with dying"--when faced with their own or another's.

13/11/2025

A Family’s Farewell, the Way Abuelo Wanted 🌿

Over the years, this family cared for their beloved Abuelo at home as his health declined, surrounding him with love, laughter, and familiar walls. They even took a home-funeral course together, learning how to honor him with their own hands when the time came.

Before he passed, Abuelo was in attendance the day the family choose his final resting place, visiting the green burial ground in his wheelchair to see where he’d one day return to the earth. I saw it with my own eyes, his smile was ear to ear as he lovingly watched his great grandbabies frolic amongst the trees.

When the day arrived and Abuelo passed away, his family kept him at home. They bathed, dressed, and gently shrouded him, welcoming friends and extended family to sit with him, share stories, and say goodbye in their own time.

The next morning, they transported him themselves- just like they rehearsed in Home Funeral classes months before- to Eloise Woods Natural Burial Park. There, they sang songs to him and each other, as they escorted his body by cart to his eternal earthly bed. As a family, they lowered him into the grave and, with several shovels, each family member took turns returning the earth to its place.. packing id down as it rose, giving him a solid, earthly embrace.

No embalming. No machines. No strangers.
Just hands, hearts, and harmony.
This is what love looks like, full circle. 🌎💚

13/10/2025
24/08/2025

Our August Newsletter is Live! We’ve got big things happening at NHFA this month—including the launch of our official partnership program, a full update to our 50-state legal database, and chances to volunteer, connect, and grow the movement for community deathcare.

✨ Whether you're new to home funerals or a longtime advocate, there’s something inside for you.

Let us know what speaks to you—or reach out if you're ready to get involved.

Beautiful day for a mock burial at the Natural Path Sanctuary
23/08/2025

Beautiful day for a mock burial at the Natural Path Sanctuary

06/01/2025

Find inspiration and community at deathcafe.com, where you can locate a local or online Death Cafe to explore the human experience and our shared mortality.

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(608) 444-8327

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