FROM:



FROM: Debi Wilson-Smith

A.A. Co. Chapter - BP USA

Annual Conference Leader

Email: debiws@

WHO:

The Anne Arundel County Chapter of the Bereaved Parents of the USA

WHAT:

Annual Conference of Hope and Healing (11th year)

WHEN:

Saturday, May 16, 2009

7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

LOCATION:

Calvary United Methodist Church

301 Rowe Boulevard

Annapolis, Maryland

PURPOSE:

A day of sharing and hope for those grieving the death of a child.

PRE-REGISTRATION END DATE:

May 2, 2009

COST:

$25 for adults, $10 for teens

CONFERENCE CONTACT:

Debi Wilson-Smith, 410-757-8280

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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All who are grieving the death of a child in the Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Queen Anne’s counties of Maryland are invited to “A Conference of Hope and Healing”, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2009. This annual conference, in its eleventh year, combines over a dozen speakers and multiple informative workshops to offer messages of hope and tools for coping as participants address the various aspects of grieving the loss of a child. A small bookstore and picture button stand will offer books and materials for sale as well as buttons to be made from submitted photos. A memory board will be available for participants to display pictures of their remembered child. A ceremonial balloon and butterfly release is planned to conclude the day near a quiet creek along the conference location.

Registration for the Conference is $25 for adults and $10 for teens which includes a choice of workshops, continental breakfast and lunch. Pre-registration is requested by May 2, 2009. This year’s eleventh annual conference is being sponsored by the Anne Arundel County Chapter of the Bereaved Parents of the USA. For further information on the conference, contact organizer Debi Wilson-Smith at 410-757-8280 of the Anne Arundel Chapter, or go to the group’s website: aacounty-md-.

The Anne Arundel County Chapter of the Bereaved Parents of the USA is a non-denominational, non-profit, volunteer group of bereaved parents supporting those who have suffered the death of a child. The group meets on the first Thursday of every month at the Calvary United Methodist Church on Rowe Boulevard in Annapolis, MD for a main topic of discussion followed by small sharing groups. In addition to monthly meetings, the chapter organizes additional memorial events throughout the year and generates a monthly newsletter. Donations for year-long activities are always welcomed. Please contact Chapter Leader Terre Belt at 410-721-1359.

Scheduled Workshops: Where Was God When I Needed Him?; Issues of Sibling Grief; Creating Memorials; Loss of a Child through Drug Abuse; From Grief to Grace – Writing through the Pain; Coping with a Sudden Violent Loss; A Grief Equation; Joy Breath – Practices to Reduce the Stress of Loss; Memories in Media; Movement Work for Healing; How Men and Women Mourn the Death of a Child; The Early Years of Bereavement; and Loss of a Child through Suicide. Biographies for all speakers are readily available, please contact conference leader Debi Wilson-Smith 410-757-8280.

Additional information on Keynote Speaker, Dr. Ann Kaiser Stearns: Ann Kaiser Stearns is the author of three books which include the best-selling Living Through Personal Crisis, which is published in seven languages. She lectures widely around the country and has given more than 200 radio and television interviews nationwide. In 2004, Dr. Stearns was named the Maryland Psychological Association’s “Maryland Psychology Teacher of the Year.” She also received an “Excellence in teaching” award from Johns Hopkins University where until recently she was an Adjunct Professor in the Police Executive Leadership Program.

Dr. Stearns is a Professor of Psychology at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) and has often taught veteran officers at the Baltimore County Police Academy. Formerly, she was also an Adjunct Professor at Loyola College in Maryland and on the faculty of the Family Practice Residency Program at Franklin Square Hospital. Earlier in her career, she was an associate chaplain at Michigan State University.

Dr. Stearns received her Ph.D. in psychology from the Union Institute and University, the M.Div. degree from Duke University and B.A. from Oklahoma City University. She lives in Maryland and is the mother of two young adult daughters.

Dr. Stearns has given many presentations to the Bereaved Parents of the USA Baltimore Metropolitan Area Chapter over a period of more than twenty years and will be a keynote speaker at the Bereaved Parents of USA national conference in NYC on the evening of July 10th.

To contact Dr. Stearns for interviews or more information, please contact AACC BP Chapter Leader Terre Belt, 410-721-1359.

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