Our Staff

Alison, daughter of Betty Catharine, is a certified facilitator through the American Academy of Bereavement, with further certifications in field traumatology, critical incident stress management and compassion fatigue. She was formerly a hospice bereavement coordinator and, following the attacks of 9/11, served as a volunteer at Liberty State Park, assisting family members and survivors. Alison’s mom, Betty Catharine, died of breast cancer on 7/29/96, six months after her brother Kysa died of Hodgkins. This led her, with the support of friends, to found Tapestries of Hope. Her focus and her passion is supporting daughters who are grieving their moms/mother figures. In May 2009, Alison officially stepped down as President of TOH, in order to join her husband in retirement. She remains active with the daughters of TOH, and administers the website and facebook page, while traveling full-time around the country in her red Escape. If you are so inclined, you can follow her travels at http://happilyhomeless2.wordpress.com.

Alisa, daughter of Elaine, is a Licensed Social Worker, a Certified Bereavement Facilitator, and the Bereavement Coordinator for Lighthouse Hospice where she frequently counsels individuals. Alisa was just 20 when her mom Elaine died of breast cancer at age 49, and that early grief set her on the road to her career in hospice. She works full-time in hospice, and volunteers the rest of her time in continuing the mission of Tapestries of Hope.

Linda, daughter of Patricia, is a facilitator for our bereavement support groups. After her mom died suddenly of pneumonia on 1/6/07, she found herself "lost and changed". In one of those happenings that you list under “coincidences” she read an article about Tapestries of Hope in the Philadelphia Inquirer (ironically on Mother's Day) Linda attended TOH group “Reflections of Our Moms”, and then another one year later following the death of her dad, enabling her to further work through her grief. Like so many of our group alumnae, Linda wanted to give back, and pass on, what she considered invaluable tools that could assist other daughters in the life changing experience of mother loss. She attended facilitator training, and soon realized that she loved offering support to other grieving daughters, and appreciated the valuable friendships fostered through TOH and its’ ongoing activities. In addition to her volunteer work as a staff member with TOH, Linda is a part time pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant nurse, has a lovely supportive husband (Frank!), and two kids.

Michelle ,daughter of Carol, is a facilitator for our bereavement support groups. In 2/10, approaching the 1 year anniversary of her mom's death, Michelle sought the support of Tapestries of Hope. Subsequently, she attended 2 “Reflections of Our Moms” groups to help her come to terms with her mom's death from emphysema on 2/17/09. After going through the healing process with other daughters, and realizing how “normal” her grief was, Michelle knew she wanted to help others in their grief journey. She comes to TOH with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Rutgers, the experience of losing her mom, the desire to help others heal while allowing others to help her heal, and a healthy sense of humor. Michelle is happily (as of Sept 2010) married with twin boys, 2 loyal and loving doggies, a sweet house and a rewarding job at Childrens' Hospital of Philadelphia. In her spare time, she enjoys softball, playing guitar and bass in various musical acts, and eating. “God never gives us more than we can handle.”

Kim, daughter of Merilyn "Merrill", is a facilitator for our bereavement support groups. After her mom (& best friend) died on 2/19/06 of breast cancer, she admits that she's just not the same. It wasn't until coming to Tapestries of Hope in the fall of 2010 to attend a group that she finally faced and accepted the grief as part of her changed life. Tapestries helped so much in her grief that she realized that she wanted to reach out to others in need of support with their grief due to the loss of their moms. She began her facilitator training in February

2011 and became a co-facilitator in August 2011. In addition to her volunteer work with Tapestries, Kim is the owner/director of The Sweetheart Pageant of NJ. She has a wonderful husband (Pat) who supports her in everything she does, 2 daughters, 1 stepdaughter, 2 stepsons , 2 daughters-in-laws & 5 grandchildren.

groups. After her mom & best friend died on 2/19/06 of Breast Cancer, she admits to never being the same again. It wasn't until coming to Tapestries of Hope in fall of 2010 to attend a group that she finally faced and accepted the grief as part of her changed life. Tapestries helped so much in her grief, that she found herself wanting to reach out to others in need of help with their grief from losing their Moms. She began her facilitator training in February 2011 and became a co-facilitator in August 2011. Aside from her volunteer work with Tapestries, Kim is the owner/director of The Sweetheart Pageant of NJ. She has a wonderful husband (Pat) that supports her in everything she does, 2 daughters, 1 stepdaughter, 2 stepsons , 2 daughter-in-laws & 5 grandchildren.

Cheryl, daughter of Carolyn, joined Tapestries of Hope after her mom's death in March/2009. Attending the support group helped her learn that there was hope and that, although her life had changed, it could still be a good life. TOH is a family to her and attending the drop-ins and events for TOH provided much needed support, with the bonus of making close friends amongst her angel sisters. The support she received from Tapestries of Hope inspired her to want to give back; she is our newest volunteer staff member! She is looking forward to being part of the Staff and assistingTOH in any way she can. She also loves to cook (!) and will continue to bring yummy goodies to events and drop-ins. (She is very excited about all the angel sisters being designated taste testers for her new food inventions)