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1. What’s Up With You?
2. Materials Available for Distribution
3. Missoula Demonstration Project’s Third Annual Retreat
4. College of Celebrancy
5. On Our Own Terms Moyers on Dying Rebroadcasts
6. Community Toolbox Is Up!
7. Spanish translations of the entire Finding Our Way series are up on the website!
8. Op-ed Piece by Dr. Ira Byock
9. New Fred Friendly Seminar on Caregiving to Air Soon
10. Is your Newspaper Running Finding Our Way?

1. What’s Up With You?
   As always, we are interested in learning what activities your coalition has planned around the Finding Our Way series. Give us an email at steeringcommittees@bballard.com and let us know what events you have planned. Be sure to include a brief description and tell us the date so that we can advertise it for you through this e-newsletter. But we also want to know everything! Are you meeting regularly? Are you having problems or successes? Can we help you? Let us know and we’ll do everything we can to support your efforts in any way.
    
2. Materials Available for Distribution
   Remember the Finding Our Way materials we have for you to distribute! If you are interested in obtaining quantities of these, email us at steeringcommittees@bballard.com. We still have a few of the Action Guides and some community brochures that you could distribute at meetings or through mailings.
    
3. Missoula Demonstration Project’s Third Annual Retreat
   This summer, the Missoula Demonstration Project (MDP) hosted its 3rd Annual Retreat titled “Tools for Action: Exploring Community Strategies to Improve Life’s End.” MDP staff hosted a total of 67 participants, with representation from 28 states. The retreat was comprised of 22 different sessions with topics ranging from research methodology to dinner theater. The sessions were designed to allow participants to take the "pulse" of community-based work, using a variety of venues around town and involve community volunteers (especially task force members) in the activities. According to Lily Tuholske, Communications Manager at MDP, the evaluations of the retreat have been incredible, with a substantial number of respondents writing that the Missoula retreat was the best conference they had ever attended. Great job Missoula Demonstration Project!
   
   MDP is an excellent resource for your community coalition. Visit their website at www.missoulademonstration.org
    
4. College of Celebrancy
   Important occasions in are worthy of noting with a special ritual. These occasions could be births, reaching puberty, weddings, retirements, deaths – all important passages in our lives. The International Federation of Celebrants was founded in Australia to train a coterie of civil celebrants who develop personalized ceremonies for special occasions. The College of Celebrancy has opened a US chapter to try to fill a perceived need in the US which has arisen from the dichotomy of a society which is becoming more spiritual yet less religious. For more information, go to their website at www.celebrancy.com/Index.html. Your coalition might want to explore rituals which various cultures use to signify the importance of the life they’ve lost.
    
5. On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying Rebroadcasts
   Many community coalitions have been working with their local Public Television stations to have them rebroadcast On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying in conjunction with the publication of the Finding Our Way newspaper series. What a great way to saturate the media markets in your area. Is your PTV station re-running the series?
    
6. Community Toolbox Is Up!
   Have you been to the Community Toolbox website? There’s great information there that can help you expand or institutionalize your coalition. How do you get funding? Where do you go for new partners? Who should be on your Board of Directors? Check it out at http://ctb.ukans.edu/services/RallyingPoints/
    
7. Spanish translations of the entire Finding Our Way series are up on the website!
   Looking for the series in Spanish? It’s available at www.krtdirect.com/dying/spanish.htm
    
8. Op-ed Piece by Dr. Ira Byock
   Dr. Ira Byock, co-author of one of the articles in the Finding our Way series, has written an op-ed piece that can be downloaded from our website at www.findingourway.net/downloads.htm.
   Speaking of downloads, use this address frequently. Every week something new will be available to you.
    
9. New Fred Friendly Seminar on Caregiving to Air Soon
   WHO CARES: Chronic Illness in America, a PBS program airing in late October and November (air dates vary by public television station) explores the critical health care challenge of chronic illness. Funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an extensive outreach campaign is planned to inspire community dialogue around issues such as how to improve care, enhance quality of life, and provide choices for people with chronic conditions.
   
   This is another excellent opportunity to mobilize your coalition and maintain a focus on how we can improve our health care system. Each year chronic illness strikes more than 50 million American lives and affects over 20 million caregivers. As with end-of-life care, our health care system is not well designed to address chronic illness. WHO CARES project brochures in bulk, a highlight reel, and a 12-page discussion guide are all available to help you use this program in your community.
   
   WHO CARES: Chronic Illness in America is a Fred Friendly Seminar hosted by NBC DATELINE correspondent John Hockenberry. You can find out when it will air in your community by logging on to the project website at www.pbs.org/fredfriendly/whocares. This website includes an outreach resource toolkit as well as extensive information on the issues.
   
   Many community coalitions are already participating in this campaign, especially when public television stations are broadcasting WHO CARES in conjunction with rebroadcasts of ON OUR OWN TERMS. For support and information, contact Rose Lynn Marra at Kelly & Salerno Communications. Rose Lynn may be reached at 770-438-1778 or roselynn@kellysalerno.com.
    
10. Is your Newspaper Running Finding Our Way?
    Remember, we can only track who’s running Finding Our Way if it appears in certain newspapers. We have no way of what’s going on in your hometown if you don’t tell us, so PLEASE let us know if your paper is running the series! Send an email to findingourway123@aol.com and let us know.
    
    As always, keep up the good work!

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