Jon Stewart Joins TAPS to Launch New Institute for Hope and Healing in Arlington

Speaker Series Kicks off Activities at New Training Center March 5 with Leading Authors on Grief and Loss

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Feb. 14, 2018

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), the national non-profit organization providing compassionate care for all those grieving the death of a military loved one, will launch the TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing with a speaker series at its new headquarters on March 5. Headlining the event will be Jon Stewart, former Daily Show host and noted supporter of the military and first responders.

Since its founding in 1994, TAPS has become the leader in providing peer-based emotional support to those grieving a military death, and has offered hope and healing to more than 75,000 bereaved family members. In that time, it has become a worldwide leader assisting people through grief and loss. Through a partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America, the foremost leader in professional grief and loss education, the new Institute will serve as an unrivaled resource and training center, serving as a hub for collaboration between professionals working in the community.

“The TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing brings decades of experience in supporting military families to support all those grieving the loss of a loved one,” said Bonnie Carroll, President of TAPS, who founded the organization after losing her husband in an Army plane crash in 1992. “Already positioned to be a national and international leader in the field of grief, the Institute will offer high-quality workshops, seminars and panel discussions for bereaved individuals, grieving military and civilian families, and grief professionals alike.”

The Institute will launch its programming on Monday, March 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. with a forum of leading experts in the area of grief and loss.  Speakers include: Hope Edelman, author of Motherless Daughters and Motherless Mothers; Claire Bidwell Smith, The Rules of Inheritance and her forthcoming Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief; Rebecca Soffer, coauthor of Modern Loss; and Allison Gilbert, author of Passed and Present and Always Too Soon.

 

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors 
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America’s fallen military heroes and has offered support to more than 75,000 surviving family members of our fallen military and their caregivers since 1994. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, grief seminars and retreats for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org or call the toll-free TAPS resource and information helpline at 1.800.959.TAPS (8277).

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Media are invited to attend the launch event at the TAPS Institute on Monday, March 5 from 2-4 p.m. The event will be held at the new TAPS National Headquarters, located at 3033 Wilson Blvd., Third Floor, in Arlington.       

                    

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW: 

Bonnie Carroll, TAPS President and Founder
Jon Stewart, former Daily Show host, and supporter of the military and first responders.
Hope Edelman, author of Motherless Daughters and Motherless Mothers
Claire Bidwell Smith, The Rules of Inheritance and her forthcoming Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief
Rebecca Soffer, coauthor of Modern Loss
Allison Gilbert, author of Passed and Present and Always Too Soon
Surviving military families attending the event

MEDIA RSVP REQUESTED:
Please email Christine Fuentes at christine.fuentes@taps.org or call 540-905-8448 to attend the launch event, arrange interviews or request photos.