Who will help in YOUR hardest time?
The Trauma Intervention Program was there when WE needed them.
-By Charles Letherwood, Outreach Advisor, Tom Dwyer Automotive Services
As Tom’s Outreach Advisor I write a lot of articles for this newsletter, and as a pretty cynical person a lot of the articles deal with disappointment in the people and organizations we should trust the most. That’s why it’s such a pleasure to be able to write about a group I never knew existed, how they showed up out of nowhere to help me in one of my worst times, and how they’ll be there for you when you need them too.
My sister Martha always faced challenges, so when my parents died several years ago she moved to Portland where we could help support her. She lived in her own apartment a few blocks from our house where we could help with her job search, keep an eye on her medical issues, and check in on her in-person a few times a week. She’d just started a new job working with children at the YMCA and was very excited about her new opportunity so when she didn’t answer her phone one night we didn’t worry. But we didn’t hear from her the next day either, so the following day I went to check on her. She didn’t answer the door, and when the landlord let me in we found she’d died in her apartment. You can probably imagine the pain and confusion I felt.
The emotions went on hold for a few minutes as I called my wife and my sister to tell them the news. After tears with them, I hung up the phone and realized that Martha was still in her bedroom. I’d never had to deal with a dead body before and had no idea what to do. My first step, as I imagine it would be for most people in this situation, was to call 911. Here’s another chance to compliment a group that doesn’t always get the credit they deserve… the 911 operator was spectacular, she walked me through the next steps, and got the proper help on-scene in less than a half hour. Really, really, wonderful.
But the star of this story is the person who showed up along with the police and medical examiner… a volunteer from the Trauma Intervention Program NorthWest (TIPNW), a group I’d never even heard of before in any format. Angie talked with me first, assuring me that she would be here for us as long as we needed her help. As I went through the procedures with the City, Angie stayed with my wife and daughter to comfort them. When the City people had finished, Angie was still there to answer all the things I’d forgotten to ask them and to offer connections to further resources. We talked for a while longer, and Angie left us with an amazing resource… a booklet put out by TIPNW with connections to funeral homes, trauma counsellors, lawyers, cremation companies, and a thousand other people and companies no one ever thinks about until they need them. We referenced that booklet many, many times over the weeks to come. Angie told us TIPNW would be checking in later, and they did with a call a couple weeks later just to make sure we were OK and not facing any further problems.
I know how helpful TIPNW was to us, but even as we were dealing with them I was thinking how much more valuable they would be to others. We were facing an unexpected but natural death and the natural pain and grief that goes with it. We were easy. TIPNW is also there for the people facing the devastation of car accidents, suicides, crime, disasters, and more. They average about 180 calls per month, working with families and individuals, young and old, communities, companies, schools, and hospitals, anyone going through or expecting to go through trauma of any kind. Our Portland chapter is part of a national non-profit organization (Trauma Intervention Programs, Inc, or TIP) of 15 affiliates serving over 250 cities across the country. TIP volunteers like the amazing Angie, are available 24/7/365 and have been since 1992.
If you’d like to help foster the mission of the Trauma Intervention Program we have TWO ways you can help. The easy and fun way is to consider going to their “Heroes with Heart Dinner” on October 21 at the Ilani Casino in Ridgefield, Washington, where they’ll be honoring the staff and volunteers who make their mission possible. Individual tickets are available, and if your company would like to step up to sponsor a table then there’s ways to do that too. Full information is available through their website, www.TIPNW.org.
The harder, but more important way is to become one of their critical volunteers. They hold two training sessions each year, and the next is in November in Vancouver, Washington. If you’re ready to make a difference in the lives of people living through their worst times, this is the way to do it. Again, full information is available through their website, www.TIPNW.org.
Modern life has scattered families and friends, pushing us all to be more isolated instead of interdependent. Not everyone has the luxury of a family to support them in their grief anymore, and for the ones who do even the most well-meaning family members might not have the counseling experience or nuts-and-bolts resources to face death or trauma on their own. TIPS isn’t just a luxury in today’s world, it’s increasingly necessary to navigate the confusion and pain we’ll all encounter. TIPS is human empathy and outreach done right, and we invite you to help them bring help and healing to the people and communities that need it so much.
DIGGING DEEPER…
TIPS NW (Trauma Intervention Program, Northwest Chapter)- https://www.tipnw.org/
TIPS (Trauma Intervention Program, National)- https://www.tipnational.org/
