From April 22-25, 2021, Kara's virtual fundraising event will raise money for our crucial bereavement services for the community. Throughout this event, we will share Daily Videos about Kara's Services, a live Saturday Connection Cafe via Zoom with Allison Gilbert and Hope Edelman, a campaign to support Impact Giving Opportunities, a Silent Auction of amazing travel packages, and Surprise Drawings, all to directly fund Kara's support to the bereaved.

Our Saturday 1pm Connection Cafe will feature Allison Gilbert, author of the book Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive and Hope Edelman, author of The AfterGrief. To Register for Kara's Connection Cafe, click HERE.

About Our Guest Speakers

Allison Gilbert is one of the most thought-provoking and influential writers on grief and resilience. The author of numerous books, her stirring work exposes the secret and essential factor for harnessing loss to drive happiness and rebound from adversity. She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the Advisory Board for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the preeminent national organization providing grief support to families of America's fallen heroes.

Other books by Allison include Parentless Parents: How the Loss of Our Mothers and Fathers Impacts the Way We Raise Our Children, and Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents. She is also co-editor of Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11, the definitive historical record of how broadcast journalists covered that tragic day. Allison is the official narrator of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum's core historical exhibition audio tour, and her voice is introduced by Robert De Niro on the museum's "Witnessing History" tour, the only female journalist to be so honored. She is serving on the Global COVID-19 Relief Coalition to advise on support for people grieving the loss of a loved one without having the closure of physical presence at the end of life or a memorial service following death. With her experience as a journalist during the 9/11 disaster, Allison brings a rich background to her work in the current pandemic.

Hope Edelman has been writing, speaking, and leading workshops and retreats in the bereavement field for more than 25 years. She was 17 when she lost her mother to breast cancer and 40 when her father died, events that inspired her to offer grief education and support to those who cannot otherwise receive it. Hope’s first book, Motherless Daughters, was a #1 New York Times bestseller and appeared on multiple bestseller lists worldwide. Hope’s most recent book, The AfterGrief, offers an innovative new language for discussing the long arc of loss. She has published six additional books, including Motherless Mothers and the memoir, The Possibility of Everything. Her work has been translated into 14 languages and published in 11 countries.

Hope has also published articles and essays in numerous publications and anthologies, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Real Simple, Parade, and CNN.com. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa.  She is a certified Martha Beck Life Coach and has also done certificate training in narrative therapy.