Cornerstone of Hope

New Home Update

2007-11-15T09:55:00.000-05:00

Here are some new aeriel photos of our new home. We are very excited with the progress. Thank you to all who are working so hard to get us into our new home as quickly as possible.

Hairworks Salon JoVon

2007-10-12T08:36:00.000-04:00

For the month of August the Hairworks Salon JoVon donate a portion of all salon service to Cornerstone of Hope. The grand total was $3,427.15. Thanks co-owners Joann Byrne and Yvonne Redden-Smith, the staff and clients that participated.

Joann, her husband Jeff, and their family hosted an annual Corn Roast at their home in Hinkley, Ohio where guests donate supplies and finances to Cornerstone of Hope. This event raised an amazing $3,900 and many every day items that Cornerstone uses such as stamps, cases of water, juice boxes, and office supplies. Joann also wanted you to know that you are all invited next year!

Here is a photo of Mark with co-owner Yvonne Redden-Smith.

Kichler Lighting Annual Charity Baseball Event

2007-10-12T08:09:00.001-04:00

On September 15, 2007 Kichler Lighting held their Annual Charity Baseball Event and Raffle. We were humbled and overwhelmed when we received the call from Diane Pope that this year they selected Cornerstone of Hope to receive the proceeds from this event.

Here is the photo of the check presentation held on September 21, 2007 at the company staff meeting. Tony Davidson, Mike Seese, Lisa Dotson presented Mark with a check for $5,400. Mark was moved to tears by the generous and thoughtful donation.

A Bird's Eye View

2007-06-28T15:37:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share a few aerial pictures of the new site.

New Pictures of the House

2007-05-30T14:25:00.001-04:00

The house is getting closer and closer to completion every week. Here are a few recent pictures.

This was taken from the new shopping plaza off Transportation Blvd

This is the South-East corner of the house & also the main entrance

Our Future Home...

2007-05-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

Since breaking ground on January 5, 2007, our construction crew has made tremendous progress toward the completion of our new home. Many of you who travel route 21 (Brecksville Road) to and from downtown are eye witnesses of the continual structural changes. For those interested in seeing the evolution of our new center, the location is 5905 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio 44131 just north of Rockside Road. As construction continues, we have are experiencing an ignited interest from individuals in supporting our ministry to those who grieve. Since January, we have received donations totaling $58,500 specifically earmarked for the capital campaign, “The Campaign for Hope”. Many have chosen to reserve naming opportunities in honor of their company or in memory of a loved one. A variety of naming rights are available. If interested please contact Mark Tripodi at 216-524-3787 or send an e-mail to mark@cornerstoneofhope.org.

Here are a few pictures:

And the Winner Is?

2006-10-02T13:07:00.000-04:00

First on behalf of the Board, staff, volunteers, and all of our Cornerstone of Hope family members, we want to send a sincere thank you for all those who participated in our Summer Raffle for the 42" Plasma HDTV. We sold over (500) of the (600) available tickets and raised $9,000 to help serve grieving children and their families.

The lucky winner was Jim Oppermann of Richmond Valve and Pipe. I called Jim on his cell phone to tell him the good news; however, he thought it was a joke and that Bobby D was putting me up to the phone call. For those who know Bobby D there is no further explanation needed. Jim was so gracious and excited about being this year's winner. The amazing thing, check this out....Jim confided in me that it was his birthday! Wow! What an awesome birthday surprise, there really are no coincidences.

Jim Oppermann and his company have always supported Cornerstone of Hope at our various annual asks and fundraising events. Thank you for your continuous support and congratulations!

Mark Tripodi, Executive Director

It's Back to School Time!

2006-09-01T10:18:00.000-04:00

It is September 1st... where did the summer go? Soon Summer will turn into Fall bringing cooler weather and the start of the holiday season. Changes happen everyday. Some are more significant to us than others. As one of the Children's Program Coordinators here at Cornerstone of Hope I wanted to share with the parents, teachers & guidance counselors some information about the back to school season and how it can be impacted by grief.

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If your child/teen is facing a recent loss he or she could have some new challenges now that school is back in session. Grieving is hard work and takes a lot of energy. In school, children are asked to focus on tasks at hand and learn new information. If you are a grieving adult you know that your memory and concentration can be heavily impacted by grief. Sometimes it seems impossible to remember simple things let alone complex fractions. Children, like adults, may become frustrated, depressed, and their self-esteem may go down when they realize that they are not functioning at their “normal” level. During individual and/or group sessions children of different ages have sometimes tearfully expressed that they were doing their best, but that they just couldn’t focus or remember. They want to do well, but their minds just are not cooperating.

As parents, guardians, teachers and supportive adults we need to let children/teens know that what they are experiencing is normal, although difficult, and we will help them get through this difficult time. Here are some tips to help grieving children/teens during the school year:

1. Assure your child that his/her memory and concentration will return and that this is a normal reaction to grief.

2. Make sure your child’s teacher(s) knows about the loss and how it has been affecting your child.

3. Keep open communication between teacher and parent/guardian. Often teachers will recognize changes or behaviors in the child that parents may not see at home.

4. Both teachers and parents may need to give children more time to complete tasks, and have the child (if old enough) write down assignments and/or instructions and due dates.

5. Being understanding and more patient does not equal spoiling or not disciplining the child. Structure and discipline help children feel safe. They need to know their worlds still have a sense of order.

6. Work with your child and his or her teacher to arrange a plan for emotional episodes. “Grief attacks” can happen at the most awkward times. If a child gets upset and needs to leave the classroom and go to the office or counselor’s office, a signal or understanding needs to be arranged between the teacher and student. Students need to understand that they are expected to not abuse the privilege.

7. If the child begins to engage in dangerous behavior, begins to pull away from everyone or starts displaying a lot of anger (perhaps getting in fights), or is getting into trouble at school, it would be helpful to get outside support. If grief issues are not addressed, children are at a higher risk for substance abuse, problems in personal relationships, and clinical depression. Grief counseling can help children understand their grief and learn to express their thoughts and feelings in healthy and appropriate ways.

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Update on What's Happening at COH:

We are getting ready to start some new groups this Fall. As always we will have our Adult support groups and Taking F.L.I.G.H.T. support groups for families. In addition we will be piloting a group for families impacted by a loss by suicide as well as groups to support our service men & women and thier families. Check out the website or newsletter for more details.

We will continue to host our Monthly Family Workshops and the Adult Monthly groups for people who have already participated in one of the 8-week groups. The monthly workshops and groups are a great way for people to establish a better support system with other people who have expereinced a loss but have worked through their grief. Many times they are more social and less structured.

The Christmas Candle Lighting and Rememberance Ceremony will be held on Sunday, December 10, 2006. There will be two sittings; the first at 1:00 pm and the second at 4:30 pm. Again, check the website or newsletter for more information.

If you are not currently on our mailing list, please send us an email with your name & address so that you will receive our quarterly newsletter which lists the upcoming programs and services.

A personal note:

I will not be updating the blog for a few months because I will be on maternity leave. Now, I am training a few other staff members so hopefully you will get to meet some new folks here at COH. I know I will be checking the blog from home to see what they are up to!! *smile*

Contact us at:
216-524-3787 or
hope@cornerstoneofhope.org

Until next time...

Stacey

Camp FLIGHT was a great success!!

2006-07-28T15:18:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all the families that joined us for Camp FLIGHT on Saturday, July 22nd. Even the rain did not stop us from having fun! It is so wonderful to to have opportunities for grieving families to meet other families that are also grieving. There is this unspoken understanding. We hope you all enjoyed the day! Here are a few pictures:

One of our wonderful volunteers, Lynn, helping the

youngest "Campers" with their memory project.

One of our families enjoying breakfast. Well, seeing as most of them

are teenagers, they may have enjoyed the breakfast more if it was not

so early in the morning! Thanks for getting out of bed early for us ladies!!

Sarah the clown!! Thanks for helping make camp a great

success Sarah! The kids loved your balloon creations.

Making friends at the pool!

Drum circles are so fun and so powerful and this one was no exception!

Thanks, Ed, yet again you made the day!

Many (((HUGS))) to our wonderful volunteers! We could not have done it without you! We hope you enjoyed the day as well & of course that you will come back next year! *wink*

Hope you enjoyed the photos,
Stacey (the blog hog!)

Spring Groups coming to an end...

2006-06-19T16:03:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Stacey ~

The Taking FLIGHT group ended on Thursday, June 15th with a Mexican themed potluck dinner. The families enjoyed reviewing all of the art work created by the children & teens during the prior 7 weeks. After each group met for 15 minutes to say their good-byes, everyone participated in a closing ritual that triggered many tears. Messages to their loved ones were placed on the "Hope Tree" and hugs were shared by many.

On a personal note... it is not very often that I get to facilitate a teen group that is so open and willing to share. I want to thank each of you for letting me be a part of your grief journey and I hope that you stay connected to each other.

There is still space available to you to sign up for Camp FLIGHT on July 22nd!

We Are Up & Running!!

2006-05-17T09:30:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Stacey, one of the Children's Program Coordinators at Cornerstone of Hope.

Mark, our Executive Director, and I have been trying to get the website updated and hope that you have found the information that you need. If not, please call us at 216-524-3787 or send us an email at hope@cornerstoneofhope.org and someone will be happy to answer your questions.

Thank you for checking out our new blog! This is a place we will publicize information about upcoming programs that we are excited about and also share about programs that have already happened at COH. You know what I mean...tell you the behind the scenes things that you don't get to hear about in our newsletter or on the website.
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So, you may be asking yourself: "What's happening at COH lately?"

Well, let me tell you... we are very excited about our upcoming one-day beravement camp for families, Camp F.L.I.G.H.T (Families Living In Grief & Healing Together). This is a fun day for families to come together for support, hope, and activities and meet others who are going through the grief process too. In the morning, there is time for age appropriate activities, then we have lunch, and in the afternoon families can enjoy swimming and some organized family activities. The day ends with a memorial balloon release. This fun-filled ay will be held on Saturday, July 22, 2006 from 8:00 am- 4:30 pm at the Independence Civic Center. So register today either by calling 216-524-3787 or email hope@cornerstoneofhope.org to reserve a spot for your family!

In other news... we are in the middle of a Taking F.L.I.G.H.T. support group and have 7 children, 3 teens and 4 parents participating. The group members have really made a great connection with each other and seem to be receiving the support they need.

Tuesday, May 17th, we had Nutritionist, Kathy Morris, come to the adult monthly support group to talk about eating healthy, but eating tastey. Participants enjoyed a taco bar and took home a bunch of good recipes.

Laura & I are facilitating a support group at an elementary school in Cleveland. It is always interesting going into different schools and trying to help children because there are often so many stressors in their lives that the grief is just one issue that needs to be addressed. We enjoy working with these boys & girls and know that every little bit counts, so we feel fortunate to be able to offer them some education about the grief process, help them address thier emotions and teach them ways to cope in a positive way.

I don't want to "hog the blog" so I will sign off for now and give someone else the opportunity to share thier persepctives with you. But don't you worry...I'll be back!