“One thing that we at HOPE know is that community heals. When compassionate hearts gather, love and comfort pour into the broken places and healing happens. It is this understanding that makes HOPE such a vibrant grief support community.”
So begins the latest fundraising letter from HOPE Connection Executive Director, Dr. Jo Christner. But it is not a typical fundraising letter, because it not only clarifies HOPE’s vision but also identifies the essence of the healing process: “The men and women who join our Spousal and Parental Loss groups bond with one another, dining together, socializing outside of meetings, and creating a truly safe support net.”
The letter ends with an invitation to become a HOPE Angel. You may read the letter below or Download It Here.
Or you may click here to make a donation today.
“The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food.” – Dean Ornish
One thing that we at HOPE know it is that community heals. When compassionate hearts gather, love and comfort pour into the broken places and healing happens. It is this understanding that makes HOPE such a
vibrant grief support community.
But our members do so much more than connect in the traditional sense. The men and women who join our Spousal and Parental Loss groups bond with one another, dining together, socializing outside of meetings, and creating a truly safe support net. Our trained therapists are compassionate and wise in the ways of loss, but it is the members themselves who turn those healing circles into real friendships and communities. They have become true “Grief Walkers” and “Grief Keepers” for one another, creating spaces that are welcoming, encouraging, inspirational, and sacred.
Our newsletter is another tool for connection, linking our groups, therapists, supporters, and new readers with wisdom and hope. And people have noticed. Once again, Constant Contact has named us to its roster of All Stars as one of the top ten newsletters currently being read in their system. That’s two years in a row!
We also host special events to offer members and the community at large a place to socialize and learn. Our most recent event was a talk with filmmaker Susan Nimoy, widow of actor Leonard Nimoy. One hundred people came out to Temple Leo Baeck to watch her movie “Eve” and discuss grief, something we rarely do in our society, especially in such a public setting. But learning the language of grief and the story of grief is another way we forge connections and help others to understand.
Of course, we can’t do it this alone. It is your support that gives us the strength and the backbone to build a better community. Your referrals help hurting hearts find us, and your contributions help us to help them walk a healthy journey through loss.
Please take this opportunity to become a HOPE angel by donating today.
Hope is one of the most powerful words in the English language. Gratitude is another. Thank you for helping us bring hope to more hearts on the journey from grief to life.
Jo Christner, Psy.D.— Executive Director
HOPE Connection is a 501(c)(3) organization, tax ID is 95-3551421.
Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extend of the law.