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WALKING THIS VALLEY- Tucson Chapter Vol. 38 No. 4 July-August 2020

************************************************************************* We’re sorry for the reason you’re here, but we’re glad you’ve found us-Tucson TCF

Tucson Chapter Meetings: Christ Church United Methodist 655 N. Craycroft

Second and Fourth Wednesdays, 7-9pm July 8, 22 Aug. 12, 26 Sept. 9, 23

Times and Dates have not changed, however our format has. Zoom meeting information

available at tucsontcf.org. Please call (520) 721-8042 with any questions. We will post on

our website and Facebook when we will resume face to face meetings.

COME SIT WITH ME

Come sit with me awhile and let me hold your hand, I understand your sorrow and know you need a friend. I understand the pain that lies within your heart, I have felt the silent screams that tear you all apart I know about the sleepless nights that last so very long, I understand the emptiness when you hear that special song.

Come share with me your memories and let me be Your friend, you can cry, laugh or say nothing at all, And I will understand. Come sit with me my friend, I’ll try to help you through. I understand my friend, for I have been there too. -Judy Peckinpaugh TCF Inland Empire, CA

Tucson Chapter

P.O. Box 30733

Tucson, AZ 85751-0733

(520) 721-8042

www.tucsontcf.org

National Headquarters

P.O. Box 3696

Oak Brook, IL 60522

Toll free (877) 969-0010

www.compassionatefriends.org

Welcome! All bereaved parents, grandparents, and adult siblings are welcome at our support group meetings. Here you will find comfort, caring people, and most of all-HOPE. Coming to the first meeting is hard, but you have nothing to lose and much to gain. For

many it is the first real step toward healing. Although it may seem overwhelming, we encourage you to come to several meetings to give yourself a chance to become comfortable. The hope of The Compassionate Friends is that those who need us would find us and that those that find us would be helped. TCF also provides information to help members be supportive to

each other. We are not professional counselors. We are bereaved families who want to help each other.

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THOUGHTS FROM A GOLD STAR

MOM Posted on May 25th, 2020 (compassionatefriends.org)

If you have already endured the death of a child, spouse, parent or sibling while in service to our country, you probably already know what I am about to say. If you are a warrior who lost one of your battle buddies, a

comrade in arms, due to combat or due to the effects or exposure of what happened while on a mission… then you too will understand what I am about to say…. because you have been there.

Like myself and countless others I have talked to, there seems to be one thing that we all have in common. It is a constant continual struggle daily with the anger, the pain, the sadness, the uncertainty, and the survivors’ guilt questions that haunt us on a daily basis.

You still find yourself begging for a do-over. One that would have led to different circumstances. One that would have had a different outcome that didn’t end in the death of a Fallen Warrior. It is hard not to go there especially on Memorial Day.

Many probably already know what I am speaking about because they, like I, are alive and someone that we love has died.

When people say they cannot imagine what it must be like to lose a child… I tell them they are right and that there will just never be the appropriate words. The only way I can even begin to convey to them the feeling of what we have been through… is to tell them to imagine being in a helicopter that is traveling up high over an ocean. There is no land in sight. Then, suddenly… for no reason that YOU can comprehend….you are shoved out the door without a parachute… and then WHAM you hit the water hard.

As the initial shock begins to wear off… you start to feel the pain and it’s excruciating. You think… this can’t be happening. This can’t be true. But then the reality starts to seep into your subconscious…but you are numb with disbelief. You can hardly move. While trying to come to your senses you notice that the helicopter starts to move out of site…. and that you have been left below in the cold turbulent water with a storm brewing around you.

You don’t know what to do… you feel you should do something… but you can’t think. Your body moves…. but your mind is not working. You look for land… but all you see is water. You know you should swim…. but have no clue as to which way to go. Your body tires from treading water. It is an effort just to keep your head above the waves. It is an effort just to breathe. You have fleeting thoughts about how it might be so much easier to just fill your lungs with water and allow yourself to sink… plummeting down into the depths of the

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ocean below. The wind is howling… the sky is black and the waves are enormous. You fear the storm will never end and you don’t know how you will survive.

Then one day you start to realize that the turbulent storm is beginning to wane. The waves that were once over 40 feet high are subsiding. You slowly begin to realize that you are swimming… even though you are unsure of your direction. You begin to start thinking you may be able to survive… if only you can find something to hold on to…. and then you see it. It’s just a plank of wood… but it allows you to grab hold and it gives you hope.

As you drift through the water…. still clinging to the board…. you become aware that you are not alone. There are others in the water with you. Some have been in the water longer than you…. and they have somehow managed to lash their planks together. They have built a boat. And not only have they built a boat but they are rowing. Throwing you a life line they pull you in. Although they greet you with open arms…. they wish they did not have to welcome you aboard… because they know the price you have paid for this trip is way too high.

But without hesitation they take you on board their vessel. With their knowledge and experiences through this tough journey they comfort you, they provide a safe haven for you to tell your story, they listen, and they listen…. and they listen…. because they understand, because they get it. They encourage you to speak your loved one’s name, to share your Warrior’s story… to share with them your journey. They give you hope.

Although, unsure of your destination… knowing that your life will never be the same again…you join them and slowly begin to row.

My name is Kelly Kowall and I am the proud gold star mother of Spec. Corey Joseph Kowall. On September 20th, 2009, my son was killed in Afghanistan on a combat mission. My life as I knew it came to an end.

It was on an evening, many years ago, that two soldiers knocked on my door and then proceeded to push me out of that helicopter. I remember screaming during my fall… and I remember my cries of anguish and pain after hitting the water.

Although the ocean is a treacherous place when there is a storm, when the waters are calm… it can be quite magical and healing. I guess that is why I envision my journey of grief to that of being adrift in an ocean as I try to survive and navigate my way to a new world. Although the waters are not always calm…. for the moments when they are… they can provide time for hope and healing. How do I know? Because I have been out in that ocean. I have endured many storms… and I will continue to do so as they come…. but mostly I know… because I am a survivor.

Bless each and every one of you during this Memorial Day as we reflect on the Warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice for our continued freedom. A debt that can never be repaid… but one that we have the obligation to remember and honor.

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As a Gold Star Mother, my hope will always be that each one of us will always be able to find a safe port or harbor when a storm blows in… as we continue on OUR grief journey. Be kind to yourself on this Memorial Day and may our Warriors NEVER be forgotten!

-Kelly Kowall (Proud Gold Star Mother of SPC Corey Kowall) President & Founder of My Warrior’s Place. www.mywarriorsplace.org

What of the One Who comes After?

What of the one who comes after, The one who's born at the last? What does he know of your presence? What does he know of your past? He knows not of your place in this world. He knows not of our heart's home for you. He simply knows your name's spoken Among tears, if now only a few. We'll tell him of days in your midst When joy was the order of the day. We'll tell him of your short life here. We'll love him the very same way. Although you two shall not meet In this life or where I can see. Your bond, though invisible, is strong. And brothers you always will be. What of the one who comes after, The one who's born at the last? Now he shall know of your presence. Now he shall know of your past.

Janie French TCF, Carrollton-Farmers, TX

In Memory of my son, Austin Matthew French

(Photo is our own ELLILAH ROSE CHICO who will always be known to her brother

Hunter and her sister Celestina.)

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July Birthdays ANTHONY ABNEY JAMIE ARNOLD DANIELLE BARNETT MARK BATES JENNIFER BUNNELL JENNY CRIM JOHN CROCI ANGELA DILLON ANDREW GAINES SEAN HOLDEN FRANK GARCIA ELISA GASTELLUM DONALD GREENE JONATHAN KALOS DAVID KETTUNEN JASON KRAUSE GABRIEL LOPEZ MORGAN LOR CHRIS MAIER JASON PHANCO DANIEL J. McCLAIN DALE MELLBERG TIMOTHY PARFREY BOBBY PARKINSON ALYSSA RILEY KATHERINE RILEY LANCE SENICK JOSEPH SHIELDS LINDA STUBBINS TARA SWAIN CINDEE TURNER BRYSE VASQUEZ ELLILAH ROSE CHICO JESSICA GRACE WING RAUL "RULLY" JR LOPEZ ZACHARY TAYLOR JONES RYLIE MCREYNOLDS JAMES THOMAS BUSEY DEANA CAPPUCCIO CARM-IDRELLE CASSEUS BABY TSOSIE SIQUIERUS MARINA ESTRELLA PALOMO NATHAN SPANGENBERG RYAN GRIFFIN GAMBLE ERIC ALEXANDER RUBOYIANES COLETON DAVID DORMAN SHAWN DOUGLAS RAMON II EDWARD VINCENT ANDREW RAMOS

July Remembrance Days

PALINA ALDECOA SEBASTIAN ALDECOA JAMIE ARNOLD JACK ATKINSON JENNIFER BAIN MARTY BEDELL BOB BRUMMETT CHRISTOPHER BREY PAUL BRUMBAUGH SELENA BURNEY JENNIFER BUNNELL ASHLEY CALLAHAN SHANTI CARLISI WENDY CARBONEL DREW DAVIS ALEAH CRUCE JORDAN CHRISTENSON KAREN FORD TIMOTHY HESKIN MARTHA HARRINGTON ROLAND JAMES DEVIN KAMBER CLAYTON LEVIS GABRIEL LOPEZ PAIGE LOVE SCOTT MILLER ROLANDO MONGE TODD PIERCE REBEKAH MARIE RAY CASSIE RAIO ALYSSA RILEY KATHERINE RILEY JOE ROMMEL JAMES SELBY MAURICIO B. SALAZAR AMANDA SUMAN JAMES THELEN GEOFFREY STENSON JAMES TURNER MATHEW VYBORNY KATHLEEN TEMPONE ROBERT ERIC TURNER MARINA MAY WALDRIP JESSICA GRACE WING COLETON DAVID DORMAN JOSEPH (JAY) KAPLINSKI SANTINO MARTINEZ-PACHO BABY TSOSIE SIQUIERUS

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Did You Know?

Did you know:

you need to rip up sheets to make a kite that flies. That you cannot build a fort without a tree with Y's. That matchbox cars run better when they are full of paint. Or, if you hold your breath too long, you probably will faint.

Did you know: a baseball bat makes a terrific gun. And, yes, an egg can really fry when left out in the sun. And cardboard boxes seem to make the most terrific trains. And you can swim in puddles after gentle summer rains.

Did you know:

that baseball cards clipped upon your bike will make the awful clicking noise that parents never like. A crabtrap can be used to catch the most exquisite birds and pig Latin serves to provide a private world of words.

And did you know my brothers?

They died a few years back. They taught me all these marvelous things

That sometimes sisters lack.

Kathi Guthrie TCF Cape May County, NJ

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Pictures on a Mantle

As I wake each morning, the first thing that I see

Your picture on our mantle smiling down at me.

I whisper good morning, I Love You Forever,

Make a wish that can never be.

Here's your picture as an infant, sitting on my knee

Now you're a toddler, how daring you could be

First trip on the bus, your first day of school

All the new friends you met.

Your first dog, first trip to the beach

How much better could it get?

There's your soccer team, your baseball team

Oh the pride you made me feel

A bases clearing triple to end the game

Could this be for real?

Out of grade school, on to high school

Your innocence almost gone

Your first car, your first prom

A young man you've become

A bumpy road in high school

Trouble we couldn't see

Lots of jobs, two years of college

An Associate's Degree.

At last, you were close to being

The person you wanted to be.

When you left that fateful night

You said, “Dad, I'll see you then.”

How could I have ever known

That I would never see you again?

I know you're out there somewhere

In a place we cannot see

Your picture on God's mantle now

Smiling down at me.

Tom Murphy Greater Cincinnati TCF - East Chapter, OH

In Memory of my son, Brennan Murphy

Unless expressly stated, the views expressed in articles, poetry, etc. in Walking This Valley are

not necessarily the views of The Compassionate Friends, The Chapter Steering Committee or

the Editorial Team. The Editor reserves the right to edit any contributions.

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I Remember

Dear one, I greet you every morning As I arise and look at your picture . . . and remember. I see you every day As I look at the field we walked . . . and remember. I hold you every year In my heart on your birthday . . . and remember. I grieve for you always As the years come and go . . . and remember. I hope to be with you again As I pass into eternity . . . and rejoice.

-Jean Fisk TCF, Contra Costa County, CA In Memory of my son, Barry

Why Can't I Let Go You were always my hero. I always wanted to be like you. You were my younger brother, Still, I always looked up to you. You were always there for me, Even when things were at their worst. You helped me through my hardest trials, And we always made it through. Now as I sit here, writing these words, Remembering you and times gone by, I'm trying to say good-bye. Nineteen years are just too many, To just let you go, I can't believe you're gone, you died, And left me here alone.

Some days I'm fine, some days I'm low, But most days, I just miss you so. It was you and me, But now, what do I do? Each night I ask why? Why I'm so angry? Why I can't cry? Why I can't let you go? I know we'll see each other again, But the years seem so long. I long for the day I'll see you again. Waiting for me with open arms. Brother, I love you and miss you so. But now I need you most. This time in my life is oh so hard, I just can't let you go.

Stephen Welch

TCF, St Louis, MO

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August Birthdays

MADISON ANGUIANO TAMARA DAWN BASS KELSEY ELIZABETH BEITEL JADEN ELIJAH BLUE BARRY BOYLE CLYDE BURKEY CALEB CANDLER BILL CARSON MORGAN COLE AIDON COPFER ASHLEY DENEEN ALAN DOYLE RACHAEL EDWARDS MARISA GALLEGO EBERT S.R. EISSENSTAT RONALD GARDY JARED GIDDINGS GABRIEL ADRIAN GASTELUM RICHARD HAYES ROBERT HORSTMAN NATHANIEL LEWIS HEDGES NATHAN HUBBLE MARKO JAKSIC MERCER JOHNSON III ANGELINA KNOX NANCY KONERTH BRIDGET MCCABE SHAUN MOORE JAMIE MULLINS, III CHRISTOPHER PALACIO LOGAN PALMER JAMISON PESSIN TRACY ANN POLLINS JEFFREY SEWELL DANIEL TATTRIE MADISON RODRIGUES OLANDO TRUJILLO LINDA VARGAS BENJAMIN ROHEN-TRAPP PRESTON WERNER JA-MUS WHITFIELD ALEXANDER WHEATLEY OHN WOOD CARRIE ANNE ATKINS RUSSELL SCOTT NEWSOME SAVANNAH GRACE WATSON MAXFIELD LANE WILLIAMS GLENN HARRISON WILLIAMS

August Remembrance Days ARI BLATTSEIN BARRY BOYLE ROBERT BREMOND ANNABELLE CAMP BRANDIE CAMPBELL DEANA CAPPUCCIO TORRE LYNN CARLS KATIE CLARK SEAN KELLY CATAUDELLA ZAC CLARK ASHLEY DENEEN ROBERT GLEN CREWS LILY FAIRCHILD SARAH ESPINOZA ANTHONY JESUS DURON SAMANTHA FULCO PHILIP GANOTE RONALD GARDY JARED GIDDINGS TYLER GROVE SHANE HARVEY WILEY HERREN KYLE HOLBROOK CHRISTOPHER J.R. HESSE DANIEL HUGHES MATTHEW KAUFMAN CHADWICK THOMAS KENYON JOE KEELING ERIC SETH KOVITZ RAUL "RULLY" JR LOPEZ MELISSA LOPEZ AMY LOGAN BRIAN MOHN JUSTIN MOHN SCOTT NEVINS MICHEAL PESQUEIRA NEAL REINACHER DONN OWENS ETHAN STRASSMAN BRODIE SCHMICH NIKOLAUS SMITH WILLIAM TIDWELL TINA VALENZUELA JUSTIN WITT TIMOTHY BYMP OHN WOOD KATERI LAURA JOANN FRANCISCO

CARMEN MARTINEZ RUSSO NATHANIEL LEWIS HEDGES

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Ongoing Fundraiser: Tickets are $25 each or 5 for

$100. All money stays with our organization. We

will use the funds for room and storage rental.The

Jim Click Millions for Tucson Raffle 2020 Edition has launched!

Jim Click, Jr. is giving away a 2020 Ford F-150 Platinum as the Grand Prize in the 2020 iteration of the Jim Click Millions for Tucson Raffle! This year, he is again offering a second and third prize; the second prize is two

round-trip, first-class airline tickets to anywhere in the world (some restrictions apply) and a third prize of $5,000. Hopefully we will soon be able to have face to face contact to sell tickets.

To contact the Tucson Chapter with questions on events, to volunteer, or to

submit articles/poems to the newsletter please email us at

compassionate.friends.tucson@gmail.com

OTHER TUCSON SUPPORT GROUPS

*Information & Referral Services: http://www.211arizona.org/

*Homicide Survivors, Inc.: 520-740-5729

*FOOTPRINTS-Pregnancy and Infant loss: 520-873-6590

*Tu Nidito/Children to Children: 520-322-9155

*Alive Alone http://www.alivealone.org/ -for parent(s) who have lost their only child

*MISS FOUNDATION http://www.missfoundation.org/

*Survivors of Suicide……. 520-989-0467

Chapter Steering Committee

Leader: Tara Chico Co Leader: Sharon Farrell/Kirsten Bice

Editor: Diane Allison Contributing Editors: All members- contributions wanted!

Outreach/ Correspondence: Donna Ruboyianes

Facebook: Debbie Russell, Cat Morrow

Website: Julie Shulick

New Attendee Coordinator/email blasts: Cat Morrow

Library: Debbie Russell

Treasurer: Sharon Farrell

Facilitators: Cindy Walter, Tara/Melissa Chico, Diane/Kenny Allison, Deanna Dillon, Sharon Farrell,

Cat Morrow, Debbie Russell, Donna Ruboyianes

Regional Coordinators:

Barb & Gene Caligari, Chandler, AZ; Denise Dean

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GRIEVING DURING THIS ISOLATING VIRUS Posted on May 5th, 2020 (compassionatefriends.org)

I can say without reservation that the years spent

grieving the loss of my daughter, daily missing her

presence, created a loneliness harsher than anything I

could ever have imagined. Now, throw in an isolating,

disruptive virus floating through our cities and towns,

large and small.

With sixteen years of grieving experience on my “life resume,” my attention over the past few

weeks has turned to moms and dads who are “new grievers,” those trying to navigate fresh

grief when everything in the country – even planning a funeral or memorial service – is out of

working order. You have many concerns and worries. My prayers, carried deeply in my soul,

are for your comfort.

Maybe you have other people physically in your presence, or like me, you are at home alone. I’m

kind of tired of hearing people whine about how tough it is to be “stuck at home” with their kids,

coming up with clever ideas and innovative activities to get through this terrible time of being at

home with the family.

Now, I’m not minimizing the challenges of setting up school at home and feeding hungry people

all day long, believe me. I just wish these people on TV and dancing happily across electronic

screens doing chores in their kitchens and cooking in the backyard had any idea of how very

fortunate they are. Many parents are living in agony and would give anything and everything to

have had more days, months, years with their precious children – even when they were

aggravating the heck out of you. It’s impossible to communicate these feelings to anyone who

has not lost a child, so I’m trusting you with my thoughts.

Right now you are dealing with the sorrow and isolation of today. Don’t look past today – today

is enough. Take yourself outside for a while. If possible, take a short walk – it might turn into a

longer walk when you realize walking helps to air out your feelings a little. This is a time to put

yourself first when possible, as hard as that may be. Sit down with a book even if you can’t read

more than a few pages. Eat something though you don’t feel hungry. (I had some popcorn and a

bite of chocolate cake for breakfast, so who am I to be giving advice on nutrition?) Take a quick

ride through a drive-through for a cold drink, some small treat to break up the day. Settle down

with meditation or prayer though you feel as though you can’t focus. Try something for just a

short time to calm your soul. My motto through the years has been “make the bed.” What???? To

me that means to accomplish some small task, some little job that puts just a jot of order and

routine to my day. It helped me emotionally and psychologically to pull back the covers on the

bed each night rather than toss around in a tangled mess. I would think – I’ve made it through a

day – now I can leave it behind and see what happens tomorrow.

You may feel like you are doing better in isolation. I have those times too. But, as you have

already likely learned, time can turn on you in an instant, compounding your grief, isolation and

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loneliness. Reach out through Compassionate Friends to the other moms and dads who are

struggling and who know your walk. Listen to what they are living. And, here’s something you

may not have thought about – you are helping someone else when you have honest conversation

with another grieving parent. When you become able to soothe someone else’s pain, you will

recognize that your own healing has begun. It’s a privilege to share your pain.

-Carol Thompson of Tyler, Texas is the mother of Sarah Kathryn Thompson who died in a 2005

pedestrian hit-and-run. Carol is a member of the local Compassionate Friends chapter, which

serves East Texans, and finds healing in writing about the everyday-life aspects of living with

grief after the death of a beloved child.

CRISIS HOTLINE INFORMATION

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Suicide Hotline

1-800-Suicide

Depression & Crisis Hotline 1-800-784-2433

The National Institute for Trauma & Loss in Children (TLC)

1-877-306-5256

Families Anonymous (Addiction/Recovery) 1-800-736-9805

Al-Anon Family Groups (Addiction/Recovery) 1-888-425-2666

Post Partum Depression 1-800-944-4773

The Compassionate Friends National:

Online Support information is available on the National Compassionate Friends Website

at www.compassionatefriends.org. There are over 26 private Facebook groups available for parents, grandparents, and siblings. There are also “virtual chapters” through an online

support community (live chats). Visit www.compassionatefriends.org/find-support/online-communities/online-support/ for more information and to register.

Remembrance Cards In order to receive remembrance cards during your loved ones

birthday month and the death anniversary month, you must individually sign-up, with your

complete information, for the memorial book located on the national website found under the “Find Support” tab after clicking on “To The Newly Bereaved”

(https://www.compassionatefriends.org/find-support/to-the-newly-bereaved/).

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The Compassionate Friends Credo

We need not walk alone. We are The Compassionate Friends. We reach out to each other with love, with understanding, and with hope. The children we mourn have died at all ages and from many different causes, but our love for them unites us. Your pain becomes my pain, just as your hope becomes my hope. We come together from all walks of life, from many different circumstances. We are a unique family because we represent many races, creeds, and relationships. We are young, and we are old. Some of us are far along in our grief, but others still feel a grief so fresh and so intensely painful that they feel helpless and see no hope. Some of us have found our faith to be a source of strength, while some of us are struggling to find answers. Some of us are angry, filled with guilt or in deep depression, while others radiate an inner peace. But whatever pain we bring to this gathering of The Compassionate Friends, it is pain we will share, just as we share with each other our love for the children who have died. We are all seeking and struggling to build a future for ourselves, but we are committed to building a future together. We reach out to each other in love to share the pain as well as the joy, share the anger as well as the peace, share the faith as well as the doubts, and help each other to grieve as well as to grow. We Need Not Walk Alone. We Are The Compassionate Friends.

SIBLINGS WALKING TOGETHER

We are the surviving siblings of The Compassionate Friends. We are brought together by the deaths of our brothers and sisters. Open your hearts to us, but have patience with us. Sometimes we will need the support of our friends. At other times we need our families to be there. Sometimes we must walk alone, taking our memories with us, continuing to become the individuals we want to be. We cannot be our dead brother or sister; however, a special part of them lives on with us. When our brothers and sisters died, our lives changed. We are living a life very different from what we envisioned, and we feel the responsibility to be strong even when we feel weak. Yet we can go on because we understand better than many others the value of family and the precious gift of life. Our goal is not to be the forgotten mourners that we sometimes are, but to walk together to face our tomorrows as surviving siblings of The Compassionate Friends.

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A National self-help, non-profit organization for families who have

experienced the death of a child

THE TUCSON CHAPTER

P.O. 30733

Tucson, AZ 85751-0733

Return Service Requested

“OHANA means family. Family

means nobody gets left behind or

forgotten.”

-Disney’s Lilo and Stitch

July-August 2020

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

Paid

Tucson, AZ

Permit No. 2296

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Late Breaking News: WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TCF’S FIRST VIRTUAL CONFERENCE PLEASE SAVE THE DATE – FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 TO SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2020 Thank you to all who completed our survey last month requesting feedback about conference alternatives due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We had over 1,000 responses with overwhelming support for TCF to offer the safer option of a virtual national conference this year. Since that time, we have been working diligently to evaluate the possibility of organizing a virtual conference. TCF’s Virtual Conference will provide an important opportunity for our community to connect in a way that is feasible right now. It also offers the opportunity for many people to attend who may not have been able to do so in the past for a variety of reasons. The three-day conference will include:

Keynote Speakers 70 plus workshop choices Sibling Sunday Candle Lighting Ceremony Sharing Circles Silent Auction Entertainment Additional regular conference activities that are suitable for a virtual environment

Additional information: The conference will take place on a Zoom platform with an online registration

system. Registration fees for the three-day event will be $65 per person (early bird

registration) and $85 per person after July 17th, 2020. Information about the TCF Walk to Remember along with more conference details

will be shared in the coming weeks. Training and orientation will be offered prior to the conference for attendees who

may need some extra technology support in order to participate. Although we would all love to be together in person, we can still connect, support, and gather as a community through a virtual event. We will continue to navigate this new environment we’re in and we hope you will join us! Registration will open soon, and we will make an announcement with a registration link provided when that happens. For now, please save the dates and look forward to connecting virtually with your TCF family through an enriching and inspiring virtual event. Sincerely, Shari O’Loughlin CEO, The Compassionate Friends