Page 4 - 2016 Autumn-Winter Issue

A Message from the Executive Director

Changing With The Times

I love my work as a publisher, editor and writer for We Need Not Walk Alone. In our 16th year of
publication, it is amazing to watch our flagship magazine evolve and grow by featuring articles
and information which accurately reflect the grief journey for those who have experienced the
death of a child, grandchild or sibling.

We have a terrific team working together on WNNWA including our Chief Operating Officer
Lisa Corrao who works as my partner in the publishing, writing and editing and also oversees
the layout, design and distribution of the magazine which is so beautifully created by our graphic designer, Sara Zeigler.
Cathy Seehuetter works tirelessly with all of our writers helping select, edit and write articles for each issue. Terry Novy is
our most tenured writer keeping our readers informed with news and information about our Chapters.

Our goal with the magazine has and always will be to offer hope without marginalizing the pain and challenges that those
grieving the death of a child in their family experience as we work to put our lives back together after loss. WNNWA also
features important news about TCF and our events, as well as recognizing our donors whose contributions make what we
do as an organization possible.

We could not accomplish producing this award-winning magazine without a stable of talented writers who contribute
regularly for us. Dr. Heidi Horsley focuses on sibling grief, Dr. Coralease Ruff writes on the physical aspects of grief and
Dr. Gloria Horsley delves into a wide range of topics grieving families face. Our recent addition of “The Wisdom of Darcie
Sims” as a regular feature has proven very popular as we highlight the brilliance of the late Dr. Darcie Sims. WNNWA has
been blessed throughout our history to feature contributions from hundreds of talented writers, poets and photographers
who have shared their stories, poems and images with us.

Our magazine, from its inception, was a labor of love. We wouldn’t be here today without the vision of Pat and Wayne
Loder who in 1998 understood the important value of creating a publication which would encompass the work of the
entire organization. Pat and Wayne, who served in honor of their children Stephanie and Stephen and Pat’s brother Rick,
would later hand the reigns over to Mary Clark (Max’s mom) who would later hand the reigns over to Cathy Patillo (Ryan’s
mom.) WNNWA has touched countless lives through the dedicated efforts of all who have contributed.

This issue marks the beginning of another chapter for WNNWA and we are very excited about where the road leads. This
is the first issue that will be fully distributed digitally. Just as thousands of other smaller publications have switched from
paper to digital, we have decided that it is time for us to save some trees and follow a trend which has worked so well for
other publications our size.

The vast majority of our readers are already digital subscribers who will not notice the change. Going fully digital however
will offer us the opportunity to use our resources to grow our readership, and publish more content more frequently
without the restraints and costs associated with ink and paper. We look forward to announcing our 2017 publishing
schedule as we continue our proud tradition of offering helpful hope-filled content along with all the latest news and
information about The Compassionate Friends.

Blessings,

Alan

Alan Pedersen, TCF Executive Director

4 |We Need Not Walk Alone