2024 Center for HOPE Luncheon with Marisa Renee Lee

The Center for HOPE is pleased to welcome former Obama appointee and grief expert Marisa Renee Lee as the speaker for its 2024 Annual Luncheon. The event will be held on Thursday, September 19 at 11:30 a.m. at Wee Burn Beach Club in Rowayton.

Marisa Renee Lee is an award-winning author, advocate, speaker and entrepreneur committed to helping people thrive during periods of grief and uncertainty. Drawing from her own personal experiences involving the death of her mother, the loss of a much-wanted pregnancy and the tragic deaths of two cousins, she released her first book, Grief is Love: Living with Loss in 2022. The book earned a Gold Award from Nautilus Book Awards' Better Books for a Better World and was recently acquired by Al Roker Entertainment as the topic of a forthcoming docuseries. In addition to her work as a grief expert, Marisa served in President Obama's administration and was the founding Managing Director of Obama's My Brother's Keeper Alliance.

Proceeds for the 2024 Center for HOPE Luncheon will benefit the Center for HOPE and The Den for Grieving Kids, Family Centers’ programs offering counseling and support to residents of lower Fairfield County coping with loss, a critical illness, or life-altering circumstances.

At the event, longtime Family Centers Board Members Leigh Carpenter and Susan Yonce will be presented with the Ray of HOPE Award. The award is the Center for HOPE's highest honor and recognizes individuals or groups for a cumulative commitment to assisting those coping with a loss, critical illness or life-altering circumstance. Both Carpenter and Yonce served as volunteer facilitators with The Den for Grieving Kids and each chaired the Annual Luncheon several times. As Board Members, they provided important input that helped ensure that quality bereavement and critical illness support services were accessible to all in the community.

Tickets and Sponsorship opportunities are available now. All attendees will receive a copy of Marisa’s debut book.

This year’s event is co-chaired by Tiernan Cavanna, Mary-Jane McCormack and Abby Ritman.

For more information, please contact Michelle Kanarek at mkanarek@familycenters.org.

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