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Cheryl
had lost her stepson EJ in an automobile accident the previous
month
Cheryl
Simms-Jones was at an Employee Community Fund/United Way event
at The Boeing Company in October 1999 when she met a woman
from an agency called Bridges.
Bridges,
which is part of Mary Bridge Children's Health Center, is
a United Way funded program that provides grief and loss services
to individuals and families of all ages, support groups and
educational outreach services which focus on the needs of
children and families.
Cheryl
had lost her stepson EJ in an automobile accident the previous
month. There was still a younger stepson at home who had been
devastated by the death of his brother and wouldn't talk about
it. When the Bridges representative heard this, she handed
Cheryl a small felt heart and asked her to give it to her
stepson. She told her to tell him to call anytime if he wanted
to talk and gave her some information about the agency, which
included a phone number.
Later,
Cheryl told her stepson about Bridges and gave him the felt
heart. Wes took the heart and suddenly, he began to talk.
This action had helped her find common ground with him and
helped initiate communication about the loss of his brother
and how he was feeling.
Wes
is now serving in the Air Force, just like his brother had…and
he still has his heart from Bridges, probably just to remind
him that there's someone out there - if he wants to talk.
United
Way funded programs like Bridges are at the heart of building
relationships between people in need and people who can help.
Thank you for your continued support.
(Cheryl
Simms-Jones is a 2000 United Way Loaned Executive from the Boeing
Company.) |
