TCNJ

40 SPRING 2016 40 SPRING 2016 1990s Kevin Fenlon '90 has been named New Jersey Herald's Coach of the Year for his work as the head coach of High Point Regional High School's soccer team in Sussex, New Jersey. Lorena Bennett Dolan '91 is assistant principal for Summit High School in Summit, New Jersey. Andrea Bowen '92 is the author of the newly released book H3: Harmonious, Healthy & Heaven-Sent Union. Linda Dobbins '92 has been elected partner at Rawle & Henderson's Philadelphia office. Barbara Harmon-Francis '93 has been named the new Educational Opportunity Fund director at Ramapo College. She was heavily involved in the EOF program during her time at TCNJ, serving as an EOF peer mentor, tutor, and summer RA. Ed Mendham '93 has been named vice president, finance– portfolio companies for BelHealth Investment Partners in New York. Ana Berdecia '94, '02, MEd '04 is a senior fellow with The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy and director of the Center for the Positive Development of Urban Children at Thomas Edison State University. She was honored by Children's Futures with its 2016 Guiding Light Award at the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Dec. 11. In its announcement, Children's Futures noted that Berdecia was being recognized for her commitment to helping children, early in life, develop a foundation of academic excellence and achievement. Jennifer Cortese Brenner '96 has been named the new varsity girls' lacrosse coach for Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont. BILL CARDONI CLASS NOTES In 1995, as Jodi DeMarco O'Donnell- Ames '88 was absorbing her husband Kevin's Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis and devoting herself to his care, another family member also needed her help: the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Alina. A language arts teacher, O'Donnell- Ames turned to books first, searching for one that could help her explain things to Alina. There weren't any. Nor could she find a support network for kids whose parents had ALS —the progressive neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig 's Disease. Today O'Donnell-Ames offers such resources through her own nonprofit. But back in the late '90s, pulled between a toddler who was gaining skills and a husband who was losing them, she says she really could have used them herself. Someone We Love Has ALS After Kevin died in 2001, O'Donnell-Ames eventually met an ALS widower Warren Ames; they were married in 2004. He had two children, Nora and Adam, both about Alina's age. "My goal became raising three kids who were all grieving, and getting all five of us in a good place," says O'Donnell-Ames. At some point in that healing process, she realized that it's hope—not misery—that loves company. The revamped maxim became her inspiration for Hope Loves Company, the nonprofit she founded in 2012 to support kids whose family members have ALS. The organization's main focus is Camp HLC, a three-day, overnight camp that started in North Jersey and now has iterations in New York, Indiana, and Massachusetts. About 200 kids have attended so far, and O'Don- nell-Ames says she recently received grants to fund two more sites. The free weekends combine summer camp staples—campfires, sing-alongs, a talent show—with sessions on the effects of stress and the benefits of meditation. "The whole purpose is for these children to realize they 're not alone," she says, noting that because ALS is so rare, kids don't normally know anyone else in their situation. As she spoke, O'Donnell-Ames was getting ready to call an 18-year-old whose mother was at the end of a battle with ALS. She makes similar calls daily. The conversations are difficult, but they illustrate what O'Don- nell-Ames' sees as her mission: channeling her own grief into action. "I can't change what happened, and it was a horrible situation on so many levels," she says. "But at least I'm not wallowing. I think I'm honoring Kevin's life and his legacy by continuing his fight in this unique way." —Molly Petrilla O'Donnell-Ames realized that it's hope— not misery—that loves company. Emotional lifeline In 2015, People featured O'Donnell-Ames in its Heroes Among Us column.

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