MISSION – Creating positivity out of negativity. That’s what four Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) employees have done in forming a local chapter of The Compassionate Friends (TCF).
Following the loss of family members, Department of Children & Family Services Elder Activity Coordinator Sarah Frank, Department of Economic & Community Development Land Specialist Rachel Matamoros, Workforce Development Apprenticeship Training Coordinator Michelle Bratlie and Department of Natural Resources Plant Propagation Technician Marie Crawford formed the TCF of Mission.
“We just began supporting each other in person, as needed,” Frank said. “There were days that were hard to get through, including at work. We could each relate to each other. We recognized talking to other parents who lost a child was very helpful.”
According to its website, TCF provides personal comfort, hope and support to families experiencing the death of a child, sibling or grandchild, and helps others better assist a grieving family. It was founded more than 50 years ago when a chaplain at the Warwickshire Hospital in England brought together two sets of grieving parents and realized the support they gave each other was better than anything he could provide. Soon The Society of the Compassionate Friends was born. It came to the United States in 1978 as The Compassionate Friends.
“I found TCF online while seeking support after I lost my son Josiah and signed up for their emails,” Frank said. “In 2023, they called out for presenters, so I submitted a workshop proposal. I was selected but was unable to travel, so I cancelled.”
However, Frank said she and Bratlie attended the 2025 TCF Conference in Bellevue, Washington, and while there, met TCF Regional Coordinator Ben Brinkley.
“He talked to me about starting a chapter,” she said. “I was originally interested in a Native American chapter, but TCF does not allow groups only for specific races.”
Today, TCF has more than 500 chapters serving all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico that offer friendship, understanding and hope to bereaved parents, siblings, grandparents and other family members during the natural grieving process.
The TCF of Mission meets at 11 a.m. on the third Saturday of the month in the Mission Senior Center located at 51 Umatilla Loop. Its first meeting was Jan. 17, and its next meeting is set for March 21.
“We felt it was important to form a chapter because there were no local chapters,” Frank said. “Sharing is up to each individual and is confidential. We are not bereavement counselors. We each have personal experience of loss. People can join by simply showing up.”
For more information about the TCF of Mission, call Frank at 541-630-2427 or email sarahfrank3170@gmail.com. For more information about TCF, visit https://www.compassionatefriends.org/about/.
