Stephen Okrent Shared Grief Foundation
Stephen Okrent Shared Grief Foundation
Fundraising for Grief Encounter
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.
We all have ambitions in life and for me, I always wanted to do a Triathlon. It was something on my bucket list. Something I wanted to do before I reached 50. And so, in 2019, I registered for a Sorint Triathlon at Dorney Lake but as we all know too well Covid happened and I was unable to do it.
After the tragic loss of my father I decided I needed to put my mind into something that would help me cope with my loss and so I decided this was the right time. I have registered for an Olympic Triathlon. It might not be before reaching 50…so I guess the challenge becomes even harder!
On Sunday May 21st 2023, in memory of my dear father Philip Okrent , who passed away tragically in October 2022, I will be challenging myself with an Olympic Triathlon at Dorney Lake, Windsor. This involves a 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and a 10km run. The thought may make many of you tired!
I will be raising money for the Foundation set up in my brother Stephen's name that supports the Wellbeing Project we created for Grief Encounter. As such, any donations, small or big will be sure to push me the extra mile.
On March 27th 2020 we lost our darling Stephen. It is hard to believe that over two years have passed since that terrible night when he was taken from us so suddenly by Covid 19 and our lives changed forever.
It was an extremely difficult year for the whole world, but for those who have had to grieve it has been that much harder. We did not have the chance to be together to mourn in a supported way and this made the grieving process that much harder.
We were never able to have a normal funeral or even a memorial service for him, so we felt it was important to do something to keep his name alive. For the past 26 months we have been creating a Shared Grief/Shared Spaces project to support those grieving, in loving memory of Stephen.
When Stephen died, we did not know where to turn to manage our grief. We needed help to talk, learn how to breathe and to be able to sleep comfortably again. We identified a need for a service to support the Wellbeing and Mental Health of bereaved families.
We are supporting and working with Grief Encounter, a charity that provides a lifeline for bereaved children and young people, to create Wellbeing services for bereaved families, extending the range of services and options available to help families manage their grief.
Donations made to “The Stephen Okrent Shared Grief Foundation” Just Giving Page have helped and will continue to help us create a Shared Grief/Shared Spaces project. To date we have developed the following:
- Andrew Ansell- Forsyth Sleep Counselling Service
- A Shared Grief Memorial Wall - https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/memory-wall/
- A Teen Journal, where teenagers and young adults have a place to write/scribble their feelings
We are working together to implement
- Group Counselling sessions
- Yoga/Mindfulness
- Art/drama therapy
Stephen was a much loved son, father, brother and husband who was kind, loving, generous and impulsive. He always looked out for those that needed help. We know that Grief Encounter would have been a charity that he would have admired.
Our family is working with Grief Encounter to support the delivery of, and income towards, these new services. So far we have raised over £225,000, which we are eternally grateful for all those who have supported us”.
THANK YOU for your support!!