Dear COPE Families,
It’s me, Sandy Wolkoff, COPE’s board president. You get a lot of emails from me and the staff.
And yes, I know that most of you don’t open these emails but I hope this time is different.
Prior to the pandemic, just over 100 of you came regularly, monthly or every two weeks, to one of our COPE support groups. Some of you are brand new to COPE and to the awful world of bereaved parents or siblings. Many others still find comfort at COPE five or even ten years later. We are glad you came to COPE. We are glad that our programs have helped you manage your feelings, thoughts, and lives.
One of our founders has said, “The next level of healing is helping.” He is right. I think that is why I am on the board and took on the responsibility of leadership. COPE’s mission is to support parents and families living with the loss of a child. But our vision is that no family should take this journey alone. That’s why I do what I do.
We are working hard, board and staff, to make this virtual walk a great fundraiser. We are doing it by setting up workshops (if you don’t want to walk), by having our first ever COPEstock Music Festival ( a prerecorded concert that features two members of my family, one of whom was on a TV show on NBC!!).
Some of our families are setting up their own teams. One is finding a way to walk together with almost everyone from her group (virtually and maybe even in real life!) and another is challenging her friends to lose their COVID pounds, making a donation for each pound they have gained, or lost. Either way is good.
This fundraising is for us! Our month of virtual activities are in place of our annual walk and designed so we each can find a way to help each other and help COPE. You can find out more by reading our emails (ok, maybe not everyone of them!!), or reading my column from September’s Newsletter (check your old mail or go to our website) or just contact me or Adam. We will help you!
And if you do read this email, let me know how you are doing.
My best,
Sandy