...for your support of the Vince Munafo Memorial Golf Outing! Together we raised $96,000 which will provide a lot of hope, strength, and healing for those we will serve in the coming months. May God bless your generosity!

September Prayer Intention
A Note from Sheila
Do You Know COJ's Impact?
Grateful for our Partners
September Support Groups

Grief Support Tips
Upcoming Events - Bonfire, Coffee Chat, Lantern Lighting, Morning of Hope
Memorial/Honor Gifts

September Prayer Intention

For all of the children we will serve this year in monthly school grief groups.

Lord, we thank you for this mission you have given us to support and serve the grieving children in our local schools. Please guide our facilitators and interns in being observant of each child in their care and allow them to see any particular vulnerabilities that need attention. Help us bring your love and healing to every grieving student.

Resilience through the spiral of grief

As we welcome the beginning of fall, our September theme in our groups is Resilience. Grief is not linear. It does not follow a straight path or a predictable timeline. It comes with unexpected highs and lows — sometimes arriving like a tsunami that takes your breath away, and other times through those quiet “sneak attacks” that seemingly come out of nowhere.

Years ago, while I was walking through my own grief journey, I attended a grief class where someone described grief as being like a spiral. Immediately, I thought of a Slinky. That simple image stayed with me. Over the years, COJ has incorporated the Slinky as a way to help children, teens, adults, educators, and families understand what grief can feel like. A Slinky stretches, contracts, twists, moves up and down, and sometimes seems completely out of control — much like grief.

There are times when grief feels heavy. We may build protective walls around our hearts because our hearts can feel as though there is a hole in the middle — a place filled with pain, tears, emotions, love, and precious memories. Grief can throw us off balance. There were times in my own journey when I felt stretched too thin emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I remember being forgetful, feeling dazed and confused, and wondering if I had somehow lost my mind.

But grief can do that. And it is normal. Just as a Slinky stretches and eventually springs back, we often find our way back, too. We may not return to the person we were before our loss, but we can learn to live with our grief while carrying the love and memories of the person we lost. And when we find ourselves in those moments when we don't seem able to “spring back,” it is important to recognize the people, places, and things that can help lift us. Who brings us comfort? Where do we feel safe? What gives us strength? What reminds us that we are not alone?

Sometimes resilience simply means reaching out and allowing someone to walk beside us. This is at the very heart of the mission of Companions on a Journey Grief Support.

Creating a grief-sensitive culture

Our mission is simple: To ensure that no child, teen, or family grieves alone. We want to help create a grief-sensitive culture where no one has to hide their grief, grieve in isolation, or feel as though they have to navigate this journey alone.

Through our school grief programs, support groups, educational opportunities, topic nights, and community outreach, COJ provides places where those who are grieving can feel seen, heard, validated, and supported. But we cannot do this work alone. It truly takes a village. Be sure to read below about the corporate and foundation partners who have blessed us recently!

Thank you for helping carry the COJ legacy

I am also incredibly grateful to all of our sponsors, partners, donors, volunteers, board members, and staff who helped make this year's Vince Munafo Memorial Golf Outing such a tremendous success. We could not put on such an event without you! Every person who gives their time, talent, treasure, prayers, encouragement, or resources becomes part of the COJ story. Every gift helps us reach another grieving child. Every volunteer helps create a safe place for someone who is hurting. Every school partnership helps us build a more grief-sensitive community.

Sheila Munafo-Kanoza with sons Mike (L) and Tony (R), and two grandsons at the 2026 Vince Munafo Memorial Golf Outing.

I believe this work is part of a legacy that God placed on my heart many years ago. I remember having a vision that one day COJ would have a bereavement center — a place where anyone experiencing grief could walk through the doors and know they were not alone. I'm not sure when God will bless us with a new space, but I am sure we are a burgeoning giant — sharing God's love, hope, compassion, and comfort with everyone who comes through our doors. There is so much more work to be done.

Every one of us will experience the death of someone we love at some point in our lives. Every family will encounter grief. And when that day comes, I pray we will live in communities where grief is understood, where people know how to respond, and where no one has to grieve alone.

Will you help us continue the legacy?

If you believe in creating a grief-sensitive culture where no one grieves alone, I invite you to become part of the COJ legacy. There are many ways to make a difference:

Give your time.
Share your talents.
Give your treasure.
Lift us up in prayer.
Help us spread the word.
Invite others to walk alongside us.

Together, we can continue building a community where grief is met with compassion, understanding, faith, and hope.

Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for standing beside us. And thank you for helping us ensure that no child, teen, or family has to walk through grief alone.

With gratitude and God's blessings,

Sheila Munafo-Kanoza

Founder, Executive Director

Donate

Do You Know COJ's Impact?

Grateful for our Partners

This year, we have been especially blessed through a partnership with the New York Life Foundation to help all Archdiocese of Cincinnati schools to become better equipped to

recognize and respond to the needs of grieving children. Thus far, 35 Archdiocesan schools have participated in the NY Life Foundation's Grief Sensitive Schools Initiative training. Another 21 have followed that up with COJ's bereavement training to further equip faculty and staff with the knowledge and tools they need to support their grieving students.

What a blessing it is to work alongside these schools, the New York Life Foundation, and the team at the New York Life Cincinnati office as we work together to ensure no child grieves alone!

We are also deeply grateful to the Charles H. Dater Foundation for a generous $25,000 grant, intended to both continue our work in schools and extend our support to several new schools this year. It has been wonderful to experience the Dater Foundation's commitment to helping ensure that children who experience the death of someone they love have the support they need. Thank you!

We are also grateful to the other foundations and organizations that have recently invested in our mission, including Cleveland-Cliffs, Middletown Community Foundation, McCullough Hyde Foundation, GE Employee Community Service Fund, Morgan Stanley Foundation, Mariner Foundation, Ross Community Foundation, St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, the Incarnation Outreach Commission, St. Anne's Episcopal Church, and the Northern Cincinnati Foundation. Their support helps make our work possible and strengthens our ability to serve those in need. They join a community of organizational, business, and individual donors whose partnership sustains our ministry every day. Because of their generosity, we can continue walking alongside those who are grieving and provide compassionate support when it is needed most.

Registration for our adult and family support groups is open and participants are welcome to join at any time. We offer in-person support groups and one open virtual support group. Click on the button below to access our website calendar with registration links. If you have questions about registration or would like assistance finding the right support group, please call our office at 513-870-9108.

Note: You can rely on the online calendar for the current group schedule!

View Support Group Calendar

Colorful slinky stretched out between two hands

Adult Groups' September Focus:

Resilience through the
"Spiral of Grief"

Much like a slinky, our grief journey compresses into heavy, dense lows, stretches thin across changes and unexpected experiences, bounces

upward in moments of surprising lightness, and drops hard when a grief moment catches us off guard.

We invite you to join us learn ways to find balance in your grief, to evaluate where you might be out of balance right now, and to work toward some flexibility that may soften the ups and downs. All are welcome, and please invite a friend who may need support!

Men in Grief

It can be extremely challenging and isolating to be a man in grief. This support group is a safe place to be open and communicate about these challenges with other men who know the pain of losing a loved one. This support group is hosted by Spring Grove Funeral Homes and facilitated by Companions on a Journey.

Meets: 4th Tuesday of the month, 6:30-8:00 pm

Spring Grove Funeral Homes (Tri-County)

11285 Princeton Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45246

woman sits at edge of lake in the fall looking out over the water

Read it all on our blog

SELF-CARE CORNER

Transition times = reflection times

The transition to fall marks a good time to reflect on our summer. Did we experience joy? Or are we stuck in a season dominated by sadness? This transition time can help us to think back on the last few months and start thinking about what we can do during the fall to help us find joy, experience emotional connection with others, and relieve our stress.

You're Invited to COJ's Family Bonfire - Oct. 1

Each fall, we invite the families of all those we serve to Niederman Family Farm for COJ’s Family Bonfire Night. This fun-filled evening features a host of fun activities on the farm: hayrides, corn maze, crafts, smores, and a grief-related activity in honor of our loved ones.

This event is open to all attendees in our adult groups, as well!

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Niederman Family Farm, this event is free to attend, but registration is required. COJ will provide water and snacks. Concessions are available at the farm and you may also bring your own picnic food. Please click below to register.

October 1, 2026 | 6-8:00 PM

Farm activities open until 9:00 p.m.

*Rain date is October 8, 6-8:00 PM

We need round 2
on losing a parent!

Come to the

COJ Coffee Chat

Earlier this year we had our first casual coffee chat focused on the experience of losing a parent, and it was so well received we want to focus on this again. This space is open to anyone aged 18+ grieving a parent – recently or long ago. There is no pressure to share, no right way to feel, and no expectation to have answers. Come as you are. Listen, speak, or simply sit with others who understand.

When: October 5, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Where: St. Anne Episcopal Church

6461 Tylersville Road, West Chester

RSVP for Coffee Chat

Spring Grove's Lantern Lighting - Sept. 12

You're invited to this free family event

5:00 - 7:30 p.m. | Gathering & Lantern Preparation

Bring a picnic, blanket, or lawn chairs and enjoy the beautiful grounds of Historic Spring Grove. Create a personalized lantern with messages of remembrance and hope, then have it prepared for launch on Willow Water Lake. Stop by the Information Tent to submit the name(s) of loved ones to be honored during the ceremony.

7:30 - 8:00 p.m. | Lantern Lighting & Launch

At dusk, gather at the lake for a brief ceremony as lanterns are lit and launched onto the water in remembrance of loved ones. A $5 tax-deductible donation per lantern is requested to benefit the Spring Grove Heritage Foundation. Parking and entertainment are free; food will be available for purchase. Please leave pets at home. Accessible parking and shuttle service will be provided.

For more information, visit www.springgrove.org.

You're invited to our

Morning of Hope Breakfast

Join us for a heartfelt morning at our Morning of Hope Breakfast fundraiser in support of COJ's grief support programming.

Date: Wednesday, November 12

Time: 8-9:30 a.m.

Location: Cooper Creek Event Center, Blue Ash
Tickets: $30

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at a new venue, connect with the community, and learn more about how we support those navigating the journey of grief.

This is a wonderful event for anyone who would like to learn more about the work of COJ and its impact on the success of the adults, teens, children, and families we serve. It is also a great opportunity for business leaders with a desire to help their community. Your presence and contributions will make a significant impact!