Eagles’ Haven: Sharing What We've Learned

When a community experiences tragedy, there is no instruction manual for what comes next.

There are urgent decisions to make, children and families who need support, and questions no one should have to answer alone.

At Eagles’ Haven, we’ve been there, and we’ve learned a great deal about what it means to walk alongside a community through the long and often unpredictable journey of healing. Increasingly, we’re discovering that some of the most meaningful lessons we’ve learned can help communities far beyond our own. Though we hope they’re never needed, we stand ready to share those lessons to make the journey a little easier for others.

The past month has shown us just how much we can offer communities at different stages of this journey.

Recently, we connected with the mayor of a city on the other side of the country that had experienced its own tragedy. Through those conversations, we were able to share our experience and help identify immediate steps that could make a difference for the children and families in that community.

In another part of the country, a community further along in its healing journey was navigating a different challenge. Following the conclusion of a trial, they were working to sustain their resiliency center and the support it provides. Just two years after the tragedy, their community is struggling, and essential pieces of their support system were at risk of falling apart. Members of our Eagles’ Haven team traveled there to meet with them, listen, and share what we’ve learned through our own experiences to help them find a stronger path forward.

These connections have reinforced something we believe deeply: no community should have to reinvent the wheel in the midst of a crisis. And they reflect a belief that resonates throughout JAFCO: no one should have to face life’s most difficult moments alone.