Please join us on Friday, March 9 2012 for our Annual Silhouettes of Hope event for an evening of dinner and support for Ryan's Place.
The event will take place at The Lerner, 410 South Main Street, Elkhart at 6:00 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012.
This years presenter is Alan Pedersen, nationally recognised presenter on grief. Alan Pedersen is an award winning songwriter and successful recording artist and performer playing more than 100 concerts each year across the United States. A former Nashville writer, Alan has turned the focus of his music and message toward helping the bereaved find hope and healing as they navigate the valley of grief.
Living in Englewood, Colorado, Alan spends most of his time on the road playing his original music and telling his story.
As a writer, Alan draws on his unique journey combining his own experience with the stories of thousands of bereaved families he has met and reached out to over the years. As a performer he draws on the experience gleaned from his work as a network radio reporter, stand-up comedian, and actor.
His own story was the catalyst for his shift in music and message. In 2001, Alan’s only daughter Ashley was killed in an automobile accident in Colorado. This tragedy would take his life in a direction he never imagined and the pain and journey toward finding joy again have been the subject matter for three highly acclaimed CD’s of original songs.
Alan’s message is simple, “we were put on this earth to love them for as long as we live, not for as long as they lived.” He believes that healing comes slow, but does come as we once again reach out to others who share this journey and offer our hand to help. His gentle mix of humor and straight from the heart talk wrapped around powerful songs about love, loss, and healing make for a unique concert experience.
Alan has performed or been a keynote speaker and workshop presenter at many international, national, and regional conferences including The World Gathering on Bereavement, The Compassionate Friends National Conference, and The National Gathering of Bereaved Parents of the USA. His music is popular with bereaved people around the world and is used at candle lighting services, balloon and butterfly releases, and by hundreds of professionals and organizations as a healing tool for the bereaved.
Darcie Sims, Ph.D., CHT, CT, GMS… A top selling author and an internationally recognized speaker on grief and loss has shared the stage with Alan many times and has this to say about his music and message:
”An evening with Alan Pedersen is an experience like none other. He WILL make you laugh, he MAY make you cry, he will surely give you some things to think about, but most of all you will be gently guided to that most sacred and healing place of sweet remembrance.”
If you are interested in being a sponsor for the event or would like more informaton please contact Aileac Deegan at 574-534-5012 or e-mail at adeegan@ryans-place.org
