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May 1, 2017 Non-clinical peer support for child, infant and pregnancy loss Pathways Miss our last newsleer? All newsleers can be viewed on our website. For a hard copy, contact our office. “Because the path of grief after losing a child should never be walked alone”™ Mailing Address: P.O. Box 382 Dayton, VA 22821 Physical address: 195 Main Street Dayton, VA 22821 www.sadierosefoundation.org ~ 540-810-0307~ [email protected] Support groups, Internet community, One-on-one lay counseling, Remembrance events * If you would like to share your story of loss and how the Sadie Rose Foundation has impacted your grief journey, please contact our office. * If you know of someone who might benefit from the support we offer, please help us make the connection. Our mission: To provide non- clinical peer support to those grieving the death of a child, because the path of grief after losing a child should never be walked alone.™ Current Needs *Prayer Shawls *Comfort items for care packages *Cookie sheets *Basic household tools (hammer, screw- drivers, etc…) THANK YOU for all you’ve already provided! Dear Sadie Rose Family, I am always mindful and aware that with each celebration, someone, some- where, is receiving dreadful news, so I keep that in mind with the things I share here. The beauty of the family that we become in Sadie Rose is that we often share together in our grief and our joy. With that, I would like to share with you that April 24, 2017, our family received a call letting us know that the adoption of our sweet baby girl was officially signed April 22. Korana (CORE-ahna) (a variation of her birth name) came to us at five weeks old November 16, 2015. Many of you celebrated with us, even sharing meaning- ful gifts from your own losses with us as we scrambled to gather items for a newborn. We knew to expect a call for placement, but with foster care we did not know what age, gender, etc. Many of you prayed for us as we walked these eighteen months, scared to hope, terrified to let go, wondering if we had risked opening our hearts and home to love only to lose once again. I am writing a book, “By Way of Sorrow – a story of life, death, adoption, and hope,” that I hope to have ready for publishing this summer. If you would like to read more or see photos about our journey of fostering and adoption, you can read my personal blog at www.reginacyzickharlow.com. Thanks to all of you who have supported and loved on us during this time and now as we officially welcome Korana Sky Harlow to our family and the Sadie Rose Family. From Regina’s Desk Annual Potluck Picnic and Live Butterfly Release Join us for our annual Potluck Picnic and Live Butterfly Release, Friday, June 23, at WEB Enterprise in Dayton. This location is a private Mennonite family farm on the out- skirts of Dayton, in Rushville. Detailed directions and address will be provided in the June newsletter. Bring a dish or two to share if you can. Table service and tea provided. This month’s newsletter is sponsored by Dr. Cathy Slusher in loving memory of her son, David, who was stillborn May 12, 1987. “Thank you for this opportunity to celebrate my son,” she writes.

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Page 1: Pathways - Sadie Rose Foundationsadierosefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/... · The following months were bleak and sorrowful as Suzy struggled down a confusing path of

May 1, 2017

Non-clinical peer support for child, infant and pregnancy loss

Pathways

Miss our last newsletter?

All newsletters can be

viewed on our website.

For a hard copy, contact

our office.

“Because the path of grief after losing a child should never be walked alone”™

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 382 Dayton, VA 22821

Physical address: 195 Main Street Dayton, VA 22821

www.sadierosefoundation.org ~ 540-810-0307~ [email protected]

Support groups, Internet community, One-on-one lay counseling, Remembrance events

* If you would like to

share your story of loss

and how the Sadie Rose

Foundation has impacted

your grief journey, please

contact our office.

* If you know of someone

who might benefit from

the support we offer,

please help us make the

connection.

Our mission: To

provide non-

clinical peer

support to those

grieving the death

of a child, because

the path of grief

after losing a child

should never be

walked alone.™

Current Needs

*Prayer Shawls

*Comfort items for

care packages

*Cookie sheets

*Basic household

tools (hammer, screw-

drivers, etc…)

THANK YOU for

all you’ve already

provided!

Dear Sadie Rose Family,

I am always mindful and aware that with each celebration, someone, some-

where, is receiving dreadful news, so I keep that in mind with the things I share

here. The beauty of the family that we become in Sadie Rose is that we often

share together in our grief and our joy. With that, I would like to share with you

that April 24, 2017, our family received a call letting us know that the adoption

of our sweet baby girl was officially signed April 22.

Korana (CORE-ahna) (a variation of her birth name) came to us at five weeks

old November 16, 2015. Many of you celebrated with us, even sharing meaning-

ful gifts from your own losses with us as we scrambled to gather items for a

newborn. We knew to expect a call for placement, but with foster care we did

not know what age, gender, etc. Many of you prayed for us as we walked these

eighteen months, scared to hope, terrified to let go, wondering if we had risked

opening our hearts and home to love only to lose once again.

I am writing a book, “By Way of Sorrow – a story of life, death, adoption, and

hope,” that I hope to have ready for publishing this summer. If you would like to

read more or see photos about our journey of fostering and adoption, you can

read my personal blog at www.reginacyzickharlow.com.

Thanks to all of you who have supported and loved on us during this time and

now as we officially welcome Korana Sky Harlow to our family and the Sadie

Rose Family.

From Regina’s Desk

Annual Potluck Picnic and Live Butterfly Release

Join us for our annual Potluck Picnic and Live Butterfly Release, Friday, June 23, at

WEB Enterprise in Dayton. This location is a private Mennonite family farm on the out-

skirts of Dayton, in Rushville. Detailed directions and address will be provided in the

June newsletter. Bring a dish or two to share if you can. Table service and tea provided.

This month’s newsletter is sponsored by Dr. Cathy Slusher in loving

memory of her son, David, who was stillborn May 12, 1987.

“Thank you for this opportunity to celebrate my son,” she writes.

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One-on-one support is available at our office by appointment. Call Regina at 540-810-4351 or

email regina@sadierosefoundation to schedule a time.

We also have several private Facebook groups, one for bereaved parents and one for those

who are pregnant after a loss. This is in addition to our public Facebook page. Feel free to

request to join these groups that apply.

Parents who are willing to talk if you are interested

Frank Bennett—540–383-9082—lost infant. Frank also has a bereaved dad’s support forum

on Facebook called “Daddy’s Breath.”

Tanya Bennett—540-383-9077—also on Facebook. Lost infant

Daniel and Naomi Lambert—540-433-8894—lost two infants. Also have teenagers as sibling

support

Anita Thompson—540-209-3251—also on Facebook. Grandparent/parent support

Lee Harlow—540-480-4928 and Regina Harlow—540-810-4351—also on Facebook. Lost

infant

Suzy LaBonte—540-833-4185—[email protected]. Lost teenager. Hosts a support

group called “Lanterns of Hope” for those who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Angie Magenhofer—[email protected]—also on Facebook. Stillbirth and miscarriage

Laura Riggleman—540-282-1633. Stillbirth and miscarriage support.

Deborah Bellesheep-Thompson—[email protected]—540-820-3446. Lost young

adult child.

If you would like to be added to this list as a volunteer support contact, please contact us.

Page 2 Pathways

Additional support

For Miscarriage Support ~ Contact

Brittany Bates at 540-421-3881 or

[email protected].

May 11: Community Coffee and Pastry

Bar, Sadie Rose House 9:30—12:30 pm.

Come and go as you please. ***Children are

usually present at this event.

May 8: Bereaved Parent Support

Meeting, Adults only, 7 p.m. Sadie Rose

House. For parents who have lost a child of

any age.

May 26: Bereaved Family Support

Meeting, Sadie Rose House, 7 pm. Parents

and siblings welcome. Children meet upstairs

with Katie Long and Katrina Lambert while

adults meet downstairs.

One-on-One appointments available by

contacting Regina at 540-421-6458 or

[email protected].

Community Coffee and Pastry Bar is held the

second Thursday of each month, Bereaved

Parent Meetings the second Monday and

Bereaved Family Meetings the fourth Friday.

Some exceptions apply, so check our website,

calendar, and Facebook page often. For more

information about any of our events, please

contact our office.

Support Meeting Schedule

Current Collectibles

We are often asked what donated items would help us. We will

suggest a focus each month of an item/items that help in our

support efforts. Current Collectibles: Bottled water, k-cups,

powdered creamers, pre-packaged snacks.

Have you considered attending one of our support group meetings? We know that

taking that first step can be the hardest. Consider asking a friend or family member

to come with you. Another way to lesson the anxiety of showing up for the first time

is to connect with people online in our “Additional Support” section below or on our

online support chat. With the exception of our Miscarriage Support Group, our

groups are open to those who have lost a child of any age. All our meetings are held

at 195 Main Street Dayton, VA 22821. Please let us know how we can best support

you on your grief journey.

What to expect at our

Support Meetings

Currently all support group meet-

ings are held at the Sadie Rose

House 195 Main Street Dayton,

across the street from Dayton

Church of the Brethren. Our be-

reaved parent meetings and be-

reaved family meetings are both

facilitated by Regina Cyzick Har-

low. All our meetings are informal.

No one is expected or required to

talk unless they choose to do so.

Most every meeting begins with

casual conversation. Throughout

the meeting, you can expect mo-

ments of tears and times of laugh-

ter. Sometimes we talk about our

children and our losses and some-

times we talk simply as friends.

The meetings are not scripted and

sometimes there are moments of

comfortable silence in the presence

of those who understand. Please

consider bringing a friend if that

would be helpful.

Connect With Us!

If you would like to receive

meeting reminders, weather

cancellations, and other

occasional communications

from SRF, please use the

following instructions. This is

one of the most effective ways

to remind you of meetings

and meeting changes. Stand-

ard text messaging rates may

apply.

SRF Connections: General

information reminders: Send a

text to 81010 and for the

message, type @srfconnect.

Fourth Friday Family Meetings:

Send text to 81010 and type

@fourthfrid.

Second Monday Parent Meetings:

Send text to 81010 and type

@secondmon.

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Page 3 Pathways

Logan Reedy

Sunrise: May 1, 2009

Sunset: December 26, 2011

Cody Miller

Sunrise: April 30, 2014

Sunset: May 1, 2014

Ryan Shank

Sunrise: May 2, 2013

Sunset: May 2, 2013

Camden Magenhoffer

Sunrise: May 5, 2009

Sunset: May 5, 2009

Mason Lambert

Sunrise: April 14, 2005

Sunset: May 7, 2005

Emmaline Ross

Sunrise: May 8, 2010

Sunset: May 8, 2010

Jessica Ann Sager

Sunrise: May 27, 1983

Sunset: May 12, 2001

Gwenyth Carpenter

Sunrise: March 17, 2010

Sunset: May 14, 2010

Brooklyn Wood

Sunrise: May 17, 2001

Sunset: May 17, 2001

Camden Lafkin

Sunrise: February 14, 2012

Sunset: May 17, 2012

Khloe Clark

Sunset: May 18, 2011

Dominic Shank

Sunrise: May 20, 2010

Sunset: May 20. 2010

Jameson Lam

Sunrise: August 15, 2007

Sunset: May 20, 2012

Holly White

Sunrise: May 23, 1991

Sunset: April 27, 2014

Andrew Simmons

Sunrise: January 31, 1993

Sunset: May 25, 2009

Joshua Davis

Sunrise: February 25, 2002

Sunset: May 27, 2012

Daniela Wine

Sunrise: May 28, 1998

Sunset: August 26, 1998

Amaya Johnson

Sunrise: May 31, 2010

Sunset: May 31, 2010

If you would like your child to be in-

cluded in the month of their sunrise

(birth) and the month of their sunset

(death), or to have them removed from

this list, please email

office@sadierosefoundation or mail

your request to P.O. Box 382 Dayton,

VA 22821.

Remembering

Suzy LaBonte, a Christian homeschooling mom of a large family, nev-

er imagined one of her children might die by suicide. She received an

agonizing blow on a beautiful spring afternoon when her sixteen-year-

old son, Zachary, without threat or forewarning, chose to end his own

life.

What on earth had happened? Why had her beautiful son decided he

no longer wanted to live?

The following months were bleak and sorrowful as Suzy struggled

down a confusing path of shock, anger, guilt, and depression.

Slowly putting one foot in front of the other,

Suzy focused on the unfailing character of

God, her husband’s faithful partnership, the

love of her family, and the hopeful support of

suicide survivors within her community.

Plodding and stumbling towards understand-

ing, healing came slowly and with it, transforming lessons from pain and cou-

rageous reminders that God’s companionship lightens the darkest hours.

With a passion to reach out to encourage other suicide survivors, Suzy shares

honestly and unguardedly about suicide loss in her book: Zachary’s Choice:

Surviving My Child’s Suicide. Suzy also blogs at her website for suicide survi-

vors: www.suzylabonte.com.

Zachary’s Choice: Surviving My Child’s Suicide

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The Sadie Rose Foundation is a Shenandoah Valley based non-profit organization that offers non-clinical peer support to families that have experienced the death of a child, including through

pregnancy loss and miscarriage. All our support and outreach is free of charge. Donations appreciated. For a complete list of our services, visit our website and click on the

“Support and Outreach” tab or contact our office at 540-810-0307, [email protected], www.sadierosefoundation.org.

The Sadie Rose Foundation

P.O. Box 382

Dayton, VA 22821

May 2017

Besides regular office duties I have…

Organized the pancake supper fundraiser Feb 9 and am so

grateful for everyone’s help!

We’ve held three community coffee and pastry bars since

our January meeting.

We held five support meetings. (We missed March 13 sup-

port meeting due to predicted snow and ice.)

I attended an infant funeral with other SRF group members

and have continued walking with that family in their grief.

I organized and held our first grief retreat March 4, with

about 25 people in attendance. (Again, so grateful for eve-

ryone’s help!)

I officiated a wedding March 25 for a couple whose baby

funeral I officiated a year ago from that date. We incorpo-

rated the memory of their daughter into the service.

I recently completed a 5-week online trauma writing

course that not only helped me process my own grief in

ways I’d never imagined, but also helped me find ways to

help others process theirs.

Katie has been a tremendous help with the newsletters as I

get the content to her

I presented about our organization in front of the board of

the Waynesboro Moose Lodge and SRF received a gener-

ous donation because of it.

I have been working on 5K preparation.

I have been overseeing the completion of our new logo!

I was called to the hospital while a mom was in labor with

her second pregnancy loss and am planning on helping

them with a memorial service. I also took them a meal on

behalf of SRF. With their permission, I also rallied our

church to take this family meals and send cards because

they live very close to our church and are not otherwise

connected to a church.

I took a meal on behalf of SRF to a family who just had

their rainbow baby.

I have been working with a volunteer who comes every

Monday to help as needed. I am working with other volun-

teer groups for future dates.

I have met with three new moms outside of support meet-

ings, have sent three care packages, and have texted with

another new mom I have not yet met in person. I have

talked with three friends who have called asking how to

support their friend going through loss.

We began another Bible study series yesterday (April 17.) I

am also leading a grief Bible study at our church that ex-

tends from my SRF work.

Texting continues to be one of the most regular ways I of-

fer support to new and established families.

I have been invited to present my workshop, Helping oth-

ers honor our grief” at a grief retreat near Morgantown,

WV on May 13.

I am writing a book, “By Way of Sorrow, a story of life,

death, adoption, and hope” that encapsulates the ten years

since Sadie’s life and death, the healing addition of two

more biological children, the founding and mission of SRF,

and the adoption of our sweet daughter that will be final-

ized any day now.

Respectfully Submitted,

Regina Cyzick Harlow

April 2017 Executive Director’s Board Report

Jan 18 – April 18 2017