Jennifer Kropak
Jennifer Kropack is 100% grateful for being born in Seattle. She graduated from The Evergreen State College, and has worked at the Dept. of Health, Office of Drinking Water for 23 years. One of her favorite tasks is to train volunteer Board Members of HOA water systems. She is a lover of stories, and attends as many story-telling festivals as she can. She believes each person with their own unique set of life experiences is a walking library of knowledge, heart, and spirit. Community-based discussion circles are a way to share in a safe and intimate way, to learn from others, and to empower oneself to get end-of-life affairs taken care of so one can live life fully.
Sally McLaughlin
Sally McLaughlin joined the Heartwork community after over forty years in education, as both a teacher and an administrator in Seattle independent schools. In addition to her training as an advance directive facilitator, Sally is also a volunteer for Providence Hospice, Harborview Hospital’s NODA program, Evergreen Health Hospice, and Compassion & Choices of Washington, where she serves as the Director of Community Education. When she is not involved in efforts to shift the paradigm of how we approach dying and death in the western world, Sally enjoys reading, writing, as well as playing the piano and guitar.
Stephen Thompson
Steven was raised in a small town in the High Sierra, where his parents ran a weekly newspaper. Joining the Air Force after High School gave him a chance to see some of the world, taught him a trade, and brought him to the Great Pacific Northwest. He moved here in the early 1980s, fell in love with area, the culture, the people, and a special lady. After leaving the service he went to work for a major airplane manufacture, got married, and raised a family.
Steven has a deep spiritual practice, born in a Twelve Step Recovery program, that lead him to the Interfaith Community Church where he met Trudy James and was introduced to the Heartwork project. He finds the end of life group work a meaningful way that he can be of service to the many communities that he is a part of.
Kathleen Coyle and Deb Stamey
Kathleen Coyle is a proud Seattleite. After graduation from college, she worked for Head Start and several non-profit early chidhood education programs. Her first brush with impacting a grassroots organization occurred in the mid 80’s when Kathleen was hired to design and develop a child care program for homeless children. Additional start-ups include a community babysitting co-op, overhauling a school library and assisting in the organization of a baseball team. A companion care provider and NODA (Nobody Dies Alone) volunteer, Kathleen was drawn to Heartwork, a grass roots end-of-life organization, because of its commitment to assist people in completing their advanced health care directives.
Deb Stamey is a lifelong resident of Seattle. After attending the University of Colorado @ Boulder, she worked in the health & pension brokerage industry and is a licensed agent. She most recently has devoted her time to raising her family, caring for her mother and grandmother and starting a business providing companion care to homebound residents. Deb enjoys connecting people, sharing her Master Gardener expertise, entertaining friends & family and has lead 100’s of volunteers in the renovation of her local park. She passionately believes in the power of bringing people together to explore their personal end-of-life options.
Kathleen & Deb created Heartwork Partners LLC, www.heartworkpartners.com
Ashley Toney
Ashley Toney, a Certified Heartwork Facilitator and experienced buddhist practitioner, facilitates groups in a warm, friendly, ecumenical manner. She has guided children and mentored adults through mindfulness and meditative methods. Her passion is to help people learn about end of life planning so their lives can be lived to the fullest. Ashley is also a Washington State Certified teacher who has taught in public and private schools as well as abroad in Bhutan.
The Film and Beyond
“Speaking of Dying” will be released in mid-April 2015. The film will be a valuable tool for anyone working on advanced care planning or hoping to motivate others to do advanced care planning: churches, parish nurses, senior residences, senior centers, hospitals, hospices, and many other venues.
When packaged as a DVD, “Speaking of Dying” will include a small workbook with suggestions for doing end-of-life planning in a group. The DVD workbook will also include lists of resources and the names of trained Heartwork group facilitators.
Summer 2014 marked the beginning of Heartwork Facilitator Training – a series of experiential groups designed for those who wish to lead their own “A Gift for Yourself and Your Loved Ones” series. Six Heartwork Partners/facilitators are now offering their own group sessions. You can see their bios and their upcoming groups above on this website. Please choose a group located near you, or contact one of the Heartwork Partners on the contact page.