Stories of HOPE and HEALING
My Journey of HOPE and HEALING – A Survivor’s Story
By Jolene Verdehyou*
Normal morning. Normal life. Until one day on December 2, 2015, everything came crashing down right in front of me. Words could not describe the way I felt in that given moment – I was in utter shock and disbelief, but I acted strong for the sake of my family. In that time, I was put into a stage of numbness, as if I had no emotions. I was empty, maybe even heartless. The one thing that kept me strong were the words my mom used to tell me: “If I die, I don’t want anyone grieving over me.” Read More…
Creating HOPE in San Bernardino
By Jeff Parness*
Yesterday was one of the greatest, most meaningful, and most emotional days of my entire life and a day I will never forget for as long as I live.
Yesterday, we had the privilege to paint Stars of HOPE® with survivors of the San Bernardino terrorist attack and some of the families who lost loved ones that terrible day two and a half months ago. We painted Stars of HOPE with little boys and little girls who lost their fathers and their mothers in an act of pure evil. Read more…
With Open Arms and Open Doors
By Fran Sheff Mauer*
We just had the privilege of doing a Stars of HOPE® project in Orlando. The remarkable employees of Loews Hotels created 1200 Stars of HOPE to bring smiles and hugs to a community very much in need. They took time out of their day to express their creativity and compassion for their community and add a little hope to the city of Orlando. The experience was heart warming. Read more…
Inspiring Syrian Refugees with Stars of Hope®
By John Balouziyeh*
Having just returned from Iraq, I had the opportunity to bring inspiration to Syrian refugees by decorating their tents and camps with Stars of Hope. The Stars, painted by attorneys and staff from the New York office of my law firm, Dentons, and by children at My Little School in Riyadh, contained messages of encouragement in Arabic and English. Read more…
Fighting the War on Terror with an Army of HOPE
By Suzanne Bernier*
The recent active shooter attacks in La Loche, Saskatchewan, San Bernardino, California, and Paris, France are brutal reminders that no community is immune to tragedy. Unfortunately, but realistically, domestic terrorism and active shooter incidents are just some of the new and emerging threats communities and organizations now face and must be prepared for. Read More…
With Renewed Strength and Courage
Author’s name withheld by request
On February 2, I had surgery. For me, my physical and emotional inability to quickly resume to an active lifestyle after the surgery (I expected to be off and running within two days!) led to being overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness, tested my resilience, and challenged me to continue to be optimistic —- to have hope. Read More…