by Cheryl Stahle

Ellen LindemanEllen Lindeman is a Happening Hero whether she wants the title or not.  Five years ago, Ellen became a young widow after her 33 year old husband Ted unexpectedly died from cancer.  Having two small children to care for, Ellen was thrust into a different life where working, paying the bills, caring for her babies and grieving consumed her days.   With no local family, neighbors and friends jumped in and helped but Ellen blew through the savings quickly.  It took almost two years for the life insurance to pay out leaving Ellen with challenges she had never prepared for.  Parents from Warwick Elementary School in Warrington held a fundraiser to raise money for food and child care.  “Total strangers came to my rescue” and that early memory from her grieving changed Ellen’s outlook.

At Abington Hospital’s SafeHarbor grief support program, Ellen learned that while similarities existed among the grieving families, she learned that financially, other families faced even more challenges.  SafeHarbor helped solidify Ellen’s philosophy of “paying it forward to help others in worse situations.”

So between the Warwick fundraiser and what she experienced at SafeHarbor, Ellen decided to start the Ted Lindeman Outreach Foundation with a mission of helping others financially while regrouping from a life changing loss.  Families who partner with the Lindeman Foundation receive up to $3000 per month for three months to help make the transition to a new lifestyle.  This funding helps “keep families afloat until [they] can get a job and deal with unbearable grief.”  To date, 20 families have received support from the Lindeman Foundation.  But the hardest part for Ellen, who answers each family’s response personally, is to say no to a request for assistance due to a lack of funds.

“Ellen Lindeman is an inspiration to all who know her. She took her family's tragedy and honored her husband's memory by creating something wonderful for other families who are suffering through the pain and anguish of losing a parent. Every day it happens all around us and there are not many places for families to turn to for support and information. The Ted Lindeman Outreach Foundation helps fill that void in our local communities. ” shares Board President, Debbie Goetz.

Ellen’s main role now with the Foundation is to work with the board of directors to raise money for families.   Through both small and larger events, Ellen continues to bring in monies to continue with the Foundation’s mission.  During 2012, she has hosted a dinner/silent auction, casino night, go cart evening and the Lindeman Humanitarian Awards.  An Oscar night is scheduled for early 2013.   Ellen eventually would like to extend her reach beyond Bucks County and has begun introducing  the Ted Lindeman Outreach Foundation through Family Circle magazine and Woman’s World .

As Ellen shares, “until you are a single parent, you have no idea of the challenges until you do it on your own.”  Ellen Lindeman, this month’s Happening Hero, wants to ease the pain of grieving  for families  facing an uncertain future.

For more information on Ellen and the Ted Lindeman Outreach Foundation visit http://tedlindemanoutreachfoundation.com/ .

 

 

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