A Note from our Founder, Diane

Over my nursing career, I had the privilege of serving in many settings, including hospice care. I learned that healing begins when grief has space.

Nature has always been that space for me.

In 2019, after going through breast cancer, a shattered knee, and the loss of several loved ones, I began volunteering at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge in Western North Carolina. 

In 2021, my daughters and I said goodbye to our beloved dog Rocky. He had been with us for 14 years — a loyal companion through joys, hardships, and all the small moments that make up a life.

Losing Rocky was heartbreaking. It left an emptiness that many pet owners understand.

As I searched extensively for a place to honor his life, I discovered there were very few spaces dedicated to remembering animals, even though they are our family. 

So I brought the idea of a Rainbow Bridge to the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge — a place where families could grieve and remember their pets. The Board of Directors embraced it. Artist Amy, a fellow volunteer, built and painted the bridge for the gardens.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I traveled to support health care workers and patients across the country. While away, the Rainbow Bridge rapidly took on a life of its own. Hundreds of collars and tags were placed on the bridge by people from across the state and country—even around the world.

I received collars from friends and pet owners I never met. I remember a couple from Europe who took a detour on their road trip through America—so they could place their beloved dog’s collar. They sat in silence for the longest time.

Visitors found each other there — through shared stories and shared tears. 

The number of collars on the Rainbow Bridge grew to thousands.

Then, in 2024, Hurricane Helene changed Western North Carolina. The Flowering Bridge and its Rainbow Bridge were destroyed. Thousands of collars were lost in the floodwaters. 

Since then, hundreds of collars have been recovered. They are now found at the new Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow Bridge Projects was born from the belief that every community deserves a place to remember, grieve, heal, and celebrate the extraordinary gifts our pets leave behind. 

At Rainbow Bridge Projects, our hope is to inspire a growing network of rainbow bridges across all 50 states and beyond. Places where compassion can be shared and future generations can know that the love we carry for our animals never really leaves us. 

Thank you to all who believe in this mission — and thank you Rocky.

(Article below is from a LLFB Newsletter after the first Rainbow Bridge was built. The floods of Hurricane Helene washed away the bridge and thousands of collars in 2024. A new Rainbow Bridge was built in the same area, surrounded by beautiful new gardens. A place of healing and resilience in Western NC…)