My goal as board president is to assure the sustainability of COPE and support our essential programs and our talented and compassionate staff. I have been on the board for almost 10 years, three of them as board president, and I am deeply committed to assuring that COPE will always be here for families living with the loss of a child. I am a bereaved parent and this past month is the recognition of my oldest child’s birthday and the 13th anniversary of his loss from our lives. My sadness is no different than that of every family member that comes to our support groups and our workshops.
This is the time of the year when all nonprofits are involved in end of the year appeals. I get emails daily advising me about raising money for nonprofit organizations. I diligently read them looking for the magic wand to help me succeed at my job and help COPE. But one email I opened recently sent me to a link for a TED talk. I only got as far as the first five minutes, as the speaker was describing the unique power of nonprofits to influence social change and shared his own experience with a nonprofit helping children with special needs. He paused and said, “Philanthropy is the market for love.”
Nonprofits always start with a passion. That is why our founders started COPE and why we continue to offer care to so many families. And while COPE started because of the pain of unbearable loss, it is all about love. I rolled those words around in my head and in my heart and thought that each one of our donations is a gift of love.
COPE is committed to supporting our participants who attend our dozen virtual support groups, the hundreds of others who attend our workshops, and the professional facilitators who are dedicated to the families we embrace. COPE is here for every day, every week, and every month. Your kind donations allow all this to happen.
Imagine what if everyone receiving this newsletter gave a donation? I think about that a lot. We could have more staff, offer more groups, reach more families, and ease the pain of so many families. And I think, if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. When our end of year appeals and emails come to you, please consider what your support means to the families of COPE. And remember love.
Thank you all!
Sandy Wolkoff
Click here to donate now: https://copefoundation.org/donations/