Over the weekend of July 12-14, The Compassionate Friends grief organization held their 47th Annual National Conference in New Orleans.
The conference is described as an “enriching and supportive event for newer and long-time bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings to find renewed hope and support, as well as strategies for coping with grief".
It’s also a chance to make friendships with other bereaved people who truly understand the heartbreaking loss of a child, sibling, or grandchild. The conference included expert guest speakers and over twenty facilitated workshops across a range of topics.
We are proud to share one workshop was co-facilitated by Stacey Redman and Tim Meadows whose wife, Mardy, was an attendee of the very first Meadowlark Grief Retreat offered by the Tim Griffith Foundation.
Tim Meadows spoke of the memorial fund in honor of his son, called the “Christopher Meadows Memorial EMS Education Fund", and Stacey spoke on the process of starting and running our Foundation. Their workshop was titled “The Power of Honoring Your Child by Creating a Memorial Fund.”
Key points about running a foundation made in the workshop included:
- How a Foundation can create a positive power representing the child who has passed on.
- Keeping a child’s memory alive in the community.
- Gaining emotional satisfaction and rewarding experiences to the family who administers the fund.
- And moving the negative energy associated with losing a child into a positive direction.
When reflecting on her attendance at the weekend conference, Stacey commented it stirred up all kinds of emotions. With this year being 20 years out since Tim’s death, she felt fortunate she was not in the beginning of her grief; but so sad that it has been 20 years since the loss of Tim.
We admire Tim and Stacey for the strength they bring forward to support others grieving in our communities and most recently at a national level in a conference such as this.