Community News
New Hope Grief Support Featured on 'Secret Millionaire'
From Issue: Volume XX - Number 13
6/29/2012
Kyle Hojem
Sue Beeney giving Natalie a little extra support at New Hope's Family Camp.
If you’ve ever watched the ABC TV show Secret Millionaire, you know reality shows aren’t all about people living in the same house or guys giving out roses to underdressed females. If you have no idea about the show, you’re in for a treat. It follows real people who are worth millions of dollars and have the opportunity to serve the poor and needy under the guise of filming a docu-mentary.
Most of the participants have never had experiences with the less fortunate and have been raised within an arms reach of money their entire life. Sometimes the show follows a father and daughter, a single person or two business partners.
A show can’t be called a reality show without a twist. The twist is the millionaire must give an amount of their own money to each charity which takes them as a volunteer. The amount to give the charity or nonprofit is the choice of the show participant.
Coming up on July 8, Secret Millionaire will feature a local Long Beach nonprofit called New Hope Grief Support Community. New Hope, founded by Susan K. Beeney, R.N., helps those who have lost a loved one. Susan experienced death early in her life when, within the span of two years, she lost three people important to her.
The desire to help people with grief came after working as a hospice nurse with cancer and leukemia patients at Long Beach Veterans Hospital. Through working at the hospital, studying grief and support and authoring a book, she launched local community groups dealing with grief.
In 2000, Susan founded New Hope Community Grief Support Community. Today, the groups are facilitated by volunteers who have lost a loved one, attended one of the many groups offered and have a desire to help others in their time of need.
For the upcoming Sunday, July 8 broadcast, Hilary DeCesare, CEO and co-founder of www.Everloop.com left everything behind for the opportunity to help those less fortunate and volunteer in the community. No one at New Hope knew Hilary was a millionaire.
Hilary told Susan she was filming a documentary about volunteerism in America. After her experience with volunteering at New Hope, Hilary said, “When you think about grief you kind of want to run away from it. The pain from the loss of a parent, child or other loved one is so unfathomable. Working on the front line with those who are helping others during this time changed my life forever.”
For more information on New Hope Grief Support Community, visit www.newhopegrief.org. New Hope is a nonprofit and staffed by volunteers. There is no cost to attend their grief groups, but donations are appreciated. New Hope Grief Support Community appears on the Sunday, July 8 edition of Secret Millionaire at 8 p.m. on KABC, Channel 7.
kyle@longbeachcomber.com
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