April Volunteer Newsletter

April Newsletter

March Newsletter

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Golf Tournament

Saturday, May 20, 2023 

7am Registration

8am Shotgun Start

6200 N Club House Lane, Tucson, AZ 85750

We hope that you will consider sponsoring and/or playing in the event once again this year. This will mark the 33rd Annual Enterprise Rent-A-Car Golf Tournament benefiting Tu Nidito. Last year we raised close to $22,000 to support Tu Nidito’s efforts in the community. 

-Glenn Z

February Newsletter

January Newsletter

Volunteer Newsletter

Mary Wallace “Arms Wide Open”

Volunteer Spotlight:
Mary Wallace “Arms Wide Open”

By Debbie Rich

Have you ever felt someone’s energy through a phone call? It is rare for me, but when I spoke with our Tu Nidito volunteer, Mary Wallace, I felt her energy – and her warmth, compassion and sense of humor.  Mary came to Tucson after having lived 30 years in Los Angeles as a television reporter, producer, director and writer. Her work took her on travels around the country, meeting real life people and sharing their stories through segments and series on HBO, NBC and PBS.  She loved her work and shared “I had fun almost every day.”

Mary came to grief work after having her best friend die from breast cancer. Although she had experienced grief before, the death of this friend moved her to explore grief support groups in her area. She landed at one in at Glendale Adventist Hospital. During her 8 months with the group she grew into the role of facilitator.  She found grief work extremely fulfilling and helped to start a group for adults grieving a death by suicide. 

Fast forward to Mary’s retirement to Tucson. She found Tu Nidito after exploring volunteer opportunities to work with those grieving. She shared, “while at Tu Nidito’s one night, I spotted someone who was so familiar to me and I asked if she had attended a grief support group at Adventist Hospital in Glendale?”  She had! This person was Tu Nidito’s Support Specialist (now Bereavement Programs Manager) Serena Sahajian.  Mary was so happy to see Serena and shared that it gave her the strength to go forward through the world with her arms wide open. 

Mary values Tu Nidito’s grief support programs because they are experiential and not just rhetoric. She found her heart with the Middles and shared, “I love the Middles because they are ages 8-12 and so am I. It is a high honor to walk with these kids and it means so much to be with them – to giggle with them and cry with them.” Completing her thought with, “we cry because there isn’t a definitive answer.” Mary ended the conversation with, “in many ways my heart would sometimes miss a beat without Tu Nidito.”

Mary is enjoying her retirement. She fills her time with art of all kinds. Once a year she finds herself in the small town of Dillion Montana fly fishing, which is her passion. She has only missed one season in the last 20 years. She describes her time there as spiritual “there is so much room for me there and we have a million laughs together as we fish the clear fresh waters.”

Mary is a Tu Nidito treasure. Her energy is effusive. Her passion and compassion are contagious. It was an honor to learn her story and to share it with all of you. 

A Moving Experience

A Moving Experience, Volunteer Training

By: Debbie Rich, Director of Philanthropy and Communications

I got up on a beautiful Saturday morning to attend the Tu Nidito volunteer training that was held on January 28th. As a new employee, I was excited to learn about the volunteer training and meet our incoming volunteers. I noticed that I was running a few minutes late, but wasn’t too concerned – saying to myself, “this is Tucson, no one is ever on time”. I drove into the parking lot and it was packed at 8:55. Everyone was inside ready to go, waiting for the day to start.

I was greeted by Lynda Stites, our Coordinator of Volunteer Services, I could feel her warmth and excitement for the upcoming day. The Tu Nidito living room was full, only one empty seat remained. I looked around at the 25 incoming volunteers and I could feel the same warmth I felt from Lynda.  This was going to be an amazing day.

Serena Sahajian, Bereavement Programs Manager, and Amerika McDaniel, Bi-lingual support specialist, were set to lead the training. Together these 2 individuals embody all that Tu Nidito aspires to provide for clients and volunteers: warmth, empathy, calm, curiosity and that important spark of joy.  I could tell they were totally prepared to hold this space and ensure that these volunteers had the tools and perspective they would need to be effective with our clients. 

Jumping right into the day, they posed a check-in question evoking connection with the group. The simple act of moving from person to person to learn their names and what brought them to the training created community. Everyone was there for the same reason, to learn, listen and absorb the empathetic energy it takes to support those who grieve. I was taken aback by the attendees, the group was comprised of college students, retirees, working folks and a few past program clients. Each one had a deep connection to Tu Nidito’s mission of creating a community of acceptance and understanding for those grieving a serious medical condition or death. Not all had firsthand experience, yet all had the desire to be of service.

I was immersed in the learning and the tools and tactics Serena and Amerika shared to ready us all to support those grieving. When I think of what stood out most, these words come to mind, “trust the process; I will never know how you feel, and I am here for you; everyone has the tools to work through grief, our service is to walk alongside them; turn to a child and say… I am listening.”   Such powerful tools!

I asked Lynda, Serena and Amerika to share their “AHA” moments…

Lynda responded, “I was really impressed by the trainers, Serena and Amerika, and their breadth of knowledge and insight, as well as their preparation and attention to detail. Our volunteer trainees were all engaged and asked good questions. I thought our group had some diversity that will benefit our families.”

Serena reflected, “What struck me the most, was how this group of volunteers already had a great foundation of knowledge around how to support and be empathetic. The way they were able to provide examples on why certain phrases or actions were helpful or unhelpful from their own personal grief experiences not only showed us, as staff, that they are going to make great facilitators, but also provided additional training material for their peers in the group. I was really blown away by that!”

Amerika shared “Something that stood out to me was before going on our tour of Tu Nidito, we went over reflective/active listening and how important it is to parrot back what the kids are saying so that they know we are listening. During our mocking talking circle all of the volunteers participated in the parroting process, which was really neat to see!”

Stay tuned for the next volunteer training dates and join us for the magic of Tu Nidito.

Dueling Pianos

Thank you for coming to Dueling Pianos at Arts Express Theater! It was an amazing evening of song and dance and fun.  Because of your support and attendance at the event, we raised $13,461.00 in tips!  Thank you for your song requests and generous tips.

Because of you, we are able to offer our programs to children, teens, young adults and caregivers free of charge, in Spanish and English. Funds raised will support the addition of a peer to peer support group night for families grieving the death of a loved one.

With grateful hearts,

Your Friends at Tu Nidito

PS: Plans are underway for Dueling 2024! See you in September.

Thank You Sponsors!

Jose & Adriana Rincon