Dear Friends,

On behalf of the entire National Students ofAMF Support Network, we would like to sendour warm wishes this holiday season to you

and yours. As many of you know, the NationalStudents of AMF Support Network is the onlyorganization dedicated to providing support tocollege students coping with the illness or death of a loved one. Weprimarily do this by helping to start chapters of Students of AMF oncollege campuses. For us and our members, unfortunately, this timeof year can be incredibly difficult. But for many of us, we havechosen to take this opportunity to reflect upon the incredible giftsthat we have been given as well as the gifts that we have been ableto give to others.

While it is not always easy to give thanks when dealing withgrief and loss, National Students of AMF and our members have somuch to be thankful for. Thanks to your support, students frommore than 20 universities are working to establish campus chaptersof Students of AMF. On each of these campuses, students aresupporting one another and honoring their ill or deceased lovedones.

For that reason, we would like to thank all of you for yourgenerosity as we continue to expand and strengthen our programs.Our members feel so fortunate to have such a strong and dedicatedcommunity of supporters, and to show their appreciation, theycontinue to bring to life the mission of the organization throughpeer-to-peer support and volunteer service for important causes. Atthis time of year, it is important to reach out to others, and NationalStudents of AMF will continue to do so because of your support.

– David FajgenbaumExecutive Director, National Students of AMF

Network NewsNational Students of AMF • www.StudentsofAMF.org • January 2009

Volume 3Number 1

Happy Holidays from NationalStudents of AMF!

Campus Chaptersof Students ofAMF Featured

in SchoolNewspapers

Several campus newspapershave written stories abouttheir school’s chapters of

Students of AMF. The DailyPennsylvanian wrote a storyabout Penn Students of AMF.The story included informationabout the chapter, whichincludes a peer-led SupportGroup for students coping withthe illness of death of a lovedone, a Service Group open to allstudents interested in partici-pating in service projects to fightback against terminal illness,and an Angels program whichpairs up faculty members withstudents in the Support Group.The Chronicle wrote a similarstory about Duke Students ofAMF. The Daily Emerald wroteanother similar story aboutOregon Students of AMF.

Go to www.studentsofamf.org

to read these article.

Supporting grieving college students, fighting back against terminal illness.

AMF

Page 2 National Students of AMF January 2009

Highlighting National Students of AMF’sAchievements & Events During the Past Year

Year in

Review

• National Students ofAMF featured in theApril 2008 issue ofReader’s Digest

• National Students ofAMF profiled on theApril 19, 2008 TodayShow

• 2008 Conference, Boot Camp, and AMFBanquet are huge successes!The inaugural National Conference on College StudentGrief provided a national forum for 45 student leadersand faculty members to discuss 1) the prevalence of col-lege student grief (41% of college students have lost aclose friend or family member in the last 2 years); 2) theimpact of grief on college students (ex: GPA, mentalhealth, social anxiety, depression); 3) the services andprograms available to college students following the ill-ness or loss of a loved one; and 4) what needs to be donein the future.

The 2008 Boot Camp 2 Beat Cancer & Family FunWalk included 200 attendees of all ages who 1) partic-ipated in a walk or work out led by college and profes-sional athletes; 2) raised money to fight cancer;

and 3) raised money to develop programs to supportcollege students that are coping with cancer.

The 2008 AMF Banquet, held to honor the life of AnneMarie Fajgenbaum and to celebrate the success of National Students of AMF, helped to raise the majority ofthe $50,000 that was raised during the weekend.

• Videos of National Students of AMFfrom ABC11 news, national NBC, andthe CW on youtube!Go to youtube.com and search for National Students ofAMF to view them!

• We are partnering with the National Hospice Foundation(NHF) to reach out to more people (young and old)who may be in need of support during times of illness orgrief. We were first connected when NHF was given a$100,000 grant from the Reader’s Digest Foundation(RDF) in honor of the work of National Students of AMF.More recently, NHF provided consumer education resources to participants attending the first NationalConference on College Student Grief. To learn more, visitwww.caringinfo.org <http://www.caringinfo.org>.

Go to www.StudentsofAMF.org to learn moreabout our recent and upcoming events!

Ben Chesson, a second year law stu-dent at Wake Forest University, isalso in charge of Business and Legal

Operations for National Students ofAMF. Ben was awarded the first-everAnne Marie Fajgenbaum Service Awardin 2006 for his selflessness and serviceto the community. As Director of Busi-ness and Legal Operations, Ben co-founded National Students of AMF alongwith David Fajgenbaum, has submittedthe annual Form 990 to the IRS, appliedfor nonprofit mail rates, managed three

other volunteers (J.D. Koesters and TomDeCesar from the Wake Forest LawSchool and Christine Simpson from theWake Forest Business School) on theBusiness and Legal Operations team, anddone much more for the organization.

The Business and Legal OperationsTeam is one of many volunteer-ledteams that help to run National Stu-dents of AMF. There is also a ChapterDevelopment Team in Philadelphia, PAled by David Fajgenbaum, a Marketing,Communications, and Relations Team in

Washington, DC led by Brian Newman, aSupport Service Team also in Washing-ton, DC led by Samantha Kass, and aFundraising Team in Raleigh, NC led byLisa Fajgenbaum. We are always lookingfor new volunteers to join these teams, soplease email David@studentsofamf.orgif you are interested in getting involved.

(profile from theDecember 2008 e-newsletter)

Profile on Ben Chesson: the Director of Business and Legal Operations

www.StudentsofAMF.org

January 2009 National Students of AMF Page 3

Current

ChaptersNational Students of AMF helps students, step-by-step, to start chapters and then

grow and develop them! Campus Chapters of Students of AMF are university-sponsored organizations that help to provide support to

college students coping with the illness or death of a loved one through a Support Group, Service Group, and AngelsProgram. Thanks to your support, National Students of AMF now has a presence on over 40 universities nationwide.

University-sponsoredChapters• Georgetown University • University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill • University of Maryland • University of California at Berkeley • East Carolina University • Meredith College • Rivier College • Toccoa Falls College • University of Washington • Regis University• California State University –

Sacramento• Oregon University• University of Wisconsin – Green Bay• Duke University • University of Texas at Austin • The College of New Jersey

Chapters in Development• Elon University

• Queens College of Charlotte

• Wingate College

• North Carolina State University

• Peace College

• Western Carolina

• Santa Clara University

• Wake Forest University

• Texas A&M

• University of Illinois

• Jefferson Community College

• University of Evansville

• Coe College

• University of Rhode Island

• University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh

• Fitchburg State University

• Carnegie Mellon

• Case Western Reserve

• West Chester University• University of Miami• Fairleigh Dickinson and Drew

Universities• Ohio University• New Mexico Highlands• Mount Mary College• Texas State University• Massasoit Community College• Ashland University• University of Rochester• New York University• Owens Community College

A Holiday Gift That Truly Makes A Difference

As the only organization dedicatedto supporting college studentscoping with the illness or death

of a loved one, National Students ofAMF is aggressively expanding its pro-grams and campus chapters. Considermaking a tax-deductible donation today(online at www.StudentsofAMF.orgor by mail) to support our non-profitorganization’s important work. Youwill automatically be emailed a print-able receipt for tax purposes.

Some of the services you are helpingto provide through your donation include:

• Developing new and existing chap-ters of Students of AMF on collegecampuses.

• Paying for travel and hotel stay forchapter leaders and faculty mem-bers for the 2009 National Confer-ence on College Student Grief.

• Working with experts from acade-

mia, mental health, and studenthealth services to improve our peersupport programs.

• Maintaining an interactive websiteat www.StudentsofAMF.org wherethe organization receives around2,000 individual visits per month.

Currently, we are reaching thousandsof students across the country, andwith your help, our programs will con-tinue to grow and expand in 2009!

Page 4 National Students of AMF January 2009

Coping with the Illness or Death of a Loved One During the Holidays

W hether you are acollege studentwith an ailing or

deceased loved one or you are out of col-lege and coping with the illness or loss ofa loved one, the holidays can be a verytough time. A question commonly askedat this time of year is, “How can I getthrough the holidays?” There is really nosingle answer of what one should orshouldn't do. Do what is comfortable(even though it isn’t always that easy).

What to expect:Be aware that this might be a difficult

time for you. Also, the additional stressmay affect you emotionally, cognitively, andphysically; this is a normal reaction. It isimportant to be prepared for these feelings.

You will likely feel as though you are theonly person that is coping with illness ordeath during the holidays. While few sharetheir experiences with others, you are notalone. Grief is a universal feeling. We haveall gone through grief at various points inour lives and handled it differently. Some

people find it helpful to be with family andfriends, emphasizing the familiar. Othersmay wish to avoid old sights and sounds,perhaps even taking a trip or finding newways to acknowledge the season.

What you can do:Grieving affects people physically, emo-

tionally, spiritually, and psychologically.Learn about how grief can affect you and beeasy on yourself. Know your own limitsand take time for your grief. Find ways toallow yourself time to understand yourloss and seek support from those who willunderstand.

For college students and people of allages, sharing with others about one’s losscan be alienating. Some friends can offermore support then others, especially ifthey have lost someone themselves.Others may be good friends to “hang outwith” and just relax. Each kind of friend isimportant. Be careful not to isolate your-self. It’s alright to take time for yourselfbut don't cut yourself off from the sup-port of others. Therefore, it may be helpful

to find support through counseling or asupport group as a way to express yourselfmore openly.

The holidays may affect other familymembers as well. Talk over your plans.Respect their choices and needs, andcompromise if necessary.

Avoid additional stress. Decide whatyou really want to do, and what can beavoided.

Participate in a walk or fundraiser inhonor of your ill or deceased loved onewith a couple of friends or family mem-bers. Fundraisers help me to feel like I’mdoing something positive.

Don't hesitate to reach out to yourfriends at National Students of AMF(david@studentsofamf.org or call DavidFajgenbaum at 919-810-0453). We arehere if you need someone to talk to.

– David Fajgenbaum,(created with the assistance of Kirstin

Thompson, the President of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay chapter of

Students of AMF)

AMF

National Students of AMF514 Daniels StreetSuite 356Raleigh, NC 27605

Happy Holidays

from AMF!