Circle of Friends for the Dying actively promotes events that give people the opportunity to explore their feelings about death—such as our monthly Circle of Friends Death Cafés—and to learn about the various issues pertaining to dying, like preparing your end-of-life advance directives or taking advantage of hospice when the time comes.
We feel that knowledge is power, which can bring great relief during a time of powerlessness. We can’t control our dying, but we can explore ways to do it so that the choices available to us become meaningful options.
In the past, CFD has hosted provoking speaking engagements in the Hudson Valley region. We held a day-long seminar at Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston, New York, with Stephen Jenkinson, author of Die Wise and Come of Age among other titles. Jenkinson, also a teacher, a farmer, and an activist in what he calls “the death trade,” spoke of his experiences in Toronto hospitals, where his job was to counsel terminal patients and ease their way to accepting death.
We’ve responded to the interests expressed by Death Café participants by inviting pertinent speakers to present brief talks before each Death Café begins. We’ve hosted Sharon DiCarlo of Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation, Laurie Schwartz (CFD co-founder) who talked about homes for the dying and our project, Circle Home, and Jo Scari, CFD board member, to talk on securing one’s LGBTQ identity in death, among many other fascinating subjects.
And we occasionally throw parties, like the Day of the Dead dance and fundraiser held at BSP in Kingston and Circlestock, a benefit concert and dance, held at The Colony in Woodstock, New York. Let us know how we can contact you when things are happening!
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