A Letter from Our New Executive Director

Dear Friends,

What tremendous privilege it is, dear Share friends and community, to write you today. I have served Share’s mission for the past 14 years, under the leadership of three remarkable executive directors, and I am honored to follow in their mighty, beautiful footsteps. I will be forever grateful for Cathi Lammert, Debbie Cochran, and Sarah Lawrenz for paving the way for me and for leaving behind a legacy of love, dedication, and faithful service to bereaved families & care providers all over the world.

When I came to work with the National Share Office in 2011, I brought with me a deep well of grief knowledge and experience, but I did not yet know the heartache of losing a child. But through speaking with each of you, our Share parents, I heard your voices: I heard how deeply you love, how deeply you grieve, and how slowly, surely, healing can feel possible again and joy can seep back in after such heartbreaking loss. You taught me through your stories, and I carried them with me. I let you teach me how to listen, how to hold space, how to carry grief and hope in each hand. You showed me how you loved beyond life.

And as I learned, I slid into various roles at Share: the first voice you heard on the phone; liaison to our Share Chapters around the country; an educator in our trainings; your support group leader, a fixture at local events and international conferences alike. I have seen from all sides how Share touches lives, heals hearts, and gives hope, and that drives my commitment to ensuring that Share’s services remain freely available to anyone seeking support after losing their precious baby.

I am also driven by my daughter, Caroline, our Sophie and Nathan’s little sister. Our family embraced Caroline with such joy, and she was loved completely for her entire life. And it was you, dear friends, who I heard in my heart when she died. With Share support all around me, I was able to grieve our precious, beautiful, cherished baby girl and reshape our little family with the love we have for her. Because of you and Share, I have people who remember her, and ways to celebrate her life with my every breath and each beat of my heart.

So, when I say it is my honor to serve this community, I do not use those words lightly. It is truly a privilege to serve an organization whose mission I deeply believe in, and have been served by, with people I highly respect and admire. I am blessed to work alongside colleagues and care providers dedicated to bringing gentle compassion, advocacy, knowledge, and support to bereaved families and those who care for them.

As you may have heard, this team here at the National Office has shifted shape recently, and I am inspired and energized by the changes we have made. Cindy Swain, our longtime colleague, has stepped into the role of Bereavement Care Manager. She brings her nursing experience, dedication, and deep compassion to this role and we are blessed to have her as the liaison to our local Share chapters, Companions, and our medical community. We are also excited to share that our former marketing intern, Emily Swain, is now Share’s Marketing and Development Assistant. She brings energy and joy with her experience and will be the person many of you will speak with about the Walk for Remembrance and Hope, sponsorships, volunteering, and events. We are also pleased to share that Jessica Bruckerhoff has joined the staff as our Accounting Manager; with her love for numbers and spreadsheets and a deep dedication to service, she responsibly manages your donations, our funds raised, and our future. Silvia Bowman is still the thoughtful leader of our Share Espanõl Program, and Rose Carlson remains our Program Director and Chapter Coordinator as she heads into her 23rd year with Share.

I speak on behalf of the entire team when I say we are honored to represent an organization that was groundbreaking when it began in 1977 and continues to challenge, inform, and raise the standard of perinatal bereavement care in this country, and around the world. We will work tirelessly to ensure that Share is there for each person enduring the tremendous loss of a baby on every step of their journey. We know, all of us, how important and impactful this support can be.

I would like to thank you for the warm welcome I have received as I slide into my new role, and promise to continue to lead Share with integrity, an open heart, a willing ear, and a heart firmly aligned with Share’s mission. Please reach out with any questions you may have, to share your story, or simply to connect with the Share community. We look forward to hearing from you!

With hope,

Jenn Stachula

Executive Director