Calm Waters February 2020 Newsletter
Calm Waters News and Updates
Calm Waters Magic on Oklahoma's News 4
Earlier this week, our Executive Director, Erin Engelke and Calm Waters' favorite magician, Jonathan Meyers, visited KFOR Oklahoma's News 4 Rise & Shine Morning Show with Lacey Lett to promote this Friday's carnival-style fundraiser, Under The Big Top! Check out Jonathan's magic below and keep an eye out for him on stage and in the midway at 6:30 this Friday at the OKC Farmers Market, as we raise money for Calm Waters programs! Click this link for tickets!
Grief and Divorce Support News
Grief Group's Greeting Cards
Death is hard to talk about. It’s even harder to know how to support someone when they’ve gone through a loss. For the families we serve, they’ve heard the insensitive phrases. They’ve felt alone and isolated in their loss. But this week during grief support group, they had the chance to write a card (sarcastic, funny or sad) as if it was coming from someone who doesn’t understand or who doesn’t know how else to help. Sometimes just a hug is all that’s needed.
Thought Leadership Thursdays
Whether you are in your grief journey or looking for ways to support someone else in grief, understanding the differences between Sympathy and Empathy and the evolved "stages of Grief" aka Worden's Four Task of Mourning, could be valuable tools for your own mental tool box.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THURSDAY: The difference between sympathy and empathy.

Sympathy is trying to understand someone from your perspective and feeling compassion.

Empathy is when you try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

And both are important!

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THURSDAY: Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning

1. To accept the reality of the loss

2. To work through the pain of grief

3. To adjust to a world without the deceased

4. Find an enduring connection with the deceased while embarking on a new life

Calm Waters Events
The Charlotte Lankard Giving Society Reception
Our second annual Calm Waters’ Charlotte Lankard Giving Society Reception, hosted by Charlotte Lankard herself and Mr. Gene Rainbolt, was February 11. The evening reception was a celebration of Calm Waters donors who have given an annual gift of $1,000 or more and organizations who have given $5,000 or more.

The reception included a welcome from Executive Director, Erin Engelke, board President, Dan Martel, and Calm Waters founder, Charlotte Lankard. The highlight of the evening may have been when Amberly Ward, a past grief support group participant, spoke about her husband’s sudden death and how her Calm Waters restored her relationship with her son and created a path to recovery for the whole family. Amberly is now a volunteer grief group facilitator of Calm Waters! Thank you to all of our giving society members!
Erin Engelke and Amberly Ward
John and Judy Mee
Angela Bachman and Dr. Kay Goebel
The Calm Waters Staff
Calm Waters Staff News
A Parent's Personal Perspective
Emily Rothrock Tate, o ur Director of Development and Communications (and volunteer grief support group facilitator), was recently interviewed by a parenting blog, The Backup Parent . She opens up about how she and her child's father work very hard to share the parenting workload and raise their 6-year-old son in a way that honors his Chickasaw culture. Their son, Heloha (The Chickasaw word for thunder), has braided hair down to his waist and enjoys ballet lessons. At times, he is mistaken as a girl, therefore the interview also discusses gender stereotypes.

Calm Waters Intern Spotlight
Haley McCLung

“There is a unique situation that brings a grieving process in every person's life and Calm Waters does a beautiful job on helping people work through it to create healthy coping skills, relationships, and more. Guided counseling and support groups would have been beneficial in several moments of my life and I am so glad that others can participate in its resources. I hope to be able to spread the word more during my time here." 

Haley McClung, a native of Lawton, OK, is a Communication and Development intern for Calm Waters and a recent University of Central Oklahoma graduate with a B.A. in strategic communications, minor in media studies.
Elizabeth Killough

"My grandfather died in 2017 while I was just beginning my sophomore year of college. This was devastating to be apart from my family during this time of loss. Being able to talk to someone about his death significantly changed my own grief journey. Volunteering at Calm Waters has been a sweet reminder that I am not alone in my own journey and that no one else is alone either."

Elizabeth Killough, originally from a suburb outside of Houston, Texas, is a Communication and Development intern for Calm Waters and a senior at Oklahoma Christian University pursuing a degree in Public Relations Mass Communication and will graduate at the end of April.
Planning Your Legacy| Calm Waters
We would be deeply honored if you would remember Calm Waters in your will. For more information, please email Erin Engelke, Calm Waters Executive Director.
Calm Waters Center for Children and Families | 405-841-4800 | Calmwaters.org