On the night of October 31, 1994, American Eagle Flight #4184 crashed in a field in Roselawn, Indiana, killing all those aboard. Among those who died in this tragic accident was Thomas H. Wright, a DowElanco (now known as Corteva Agriscience) executive from Indianapolis.

Keenly aware of the need for on-going support for Tom’s children and others like them, Pam Wright and a multitude of individuals prompted the initial discussion and effort to develop a grieving center in Indianapolis. Later, Brooke was asked to lend her name to the organization in tribute to her courageous grief journey.

On April 15, 1999, 41 were in attendance on the very first program night at Brooke’s Place. Since the inception of grief support groups at Brooke’s Place, more than 37,000 children and their families have been supported.

In 2008, Brooke’s Place introduced its therapy services program. Since then, 20,247 counseling sessions have been completed.

In 2015, Brooke’s Place established its outreach program BP8. BP8 was created to reach underserved individuals and communities impacted by all causes of death, especially death by homicide. 1,254 families have been enrolled in this program since 2015.

In January of 2018, Camp Healing Tree became an official Brooke’s Place program! This weekend-long camp has served 595 grieving youth.

Brooke's Place has expanded its Ongoing Grief Support Group to four locations: Westside Church of the Nazarene (added January 2018), Rock Community Center at Eastern Star Church's Campus (added August 2023), and Christ Indianapolis United Methodist Church (added April 2026).