I’m heartbroken to share that Michael Cain (Smokey) died yesterday morning due to cancer. Smokey co-facilitated our Charlestown peer grief group with Shannon White for many, many years. He cared deeply about the people who came through those doors and gave so much of himself to his community. He joined the peer grief helper community after his son Michael died due to overdose in 2015. He was a longtime member of the Charlestown Trauma Team and volunteered as the DJ for their candlelight vigil for 17 years. We thank Smokey for offering his care and compassion to the grief group members over the years. We will miss your feisty spirit! Please keep his family and Shannon in your thoughts.
If you knew Smokey and would like to talk, please reach out to us. Whether you want to share a memory of him or simply have someone listen, we’re here for you.
~Robyn
Robyn Houston-Bean
Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation
Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! DOWNLOAD THE TEAMUP APP CALENDAR ON YOUR PHONE. Click here for how to join app! The teamup calendar automatically updates to your timezone.
Please check the calendar before you drive to an in-person group…last-minute changes can happen. If it is not listed on the monthly calendar, it is cancelled for that date.
If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.
MEETING CHANGES THIS WEEK
Liz Driscoll is facilitating for Gordon & Colleen Bullard for the Learning to Cope With Grief group this month. It will only meet virtually this month.
The zoom group for Grandparents scheduled for 10/1/26 has been postponed until to 10/8/26.
10 YEAR CELEBRATION! OUR LARGEST FUNDRAISER IN YEARS! Please help keep our peer grief support free!
Tickets have sold out for our Together in Light Celebration & Benefit Evening. But there are other ways to support us and help keep peer grief support free! See options below!
BID BID BID! Numbers 1–99 are up for auction and they may never be available like this again. For the first time, some of the lowest-numbered Massachusetts Overdose Awareness license plates are available to the public. View the available numbers and place your bid! These plates honor lives taken too soon, raise awareness everywhere they travel and help support families bereaved due to substance use-related causes.
Already have an Overdose Awareness plate with a higher number? You are still eligible to bid and replace it with a lower one. Most opening bids are $500, with higher starting bids for select single-digit plates. Don’t wait for someone else to claim the number that means something to you. Auction closes October 3, 2026.
PRE-EVENT RAFFLE IS OPEN! Pre-Sale open until October 1st. Raffles chances will also be sold at the event on October 3rd. Drawing will be during the event. You do not need to be present to win. Once you purchase tickets, fill out Pre-Sale Raffle Form (This form is for the pre-sale only) Monies raised will ensure people bereaved due to substance use-related causes continue to receive free peer grief support, community activities, and opportunities for healing connection. Questions about payment or need help completing the form, reach out to Leslie Lagos at leslie@thesunwillrise.org or 617-680-1573.
Sponsor or Donate! The Memory/Ad book deadline has passed. You can still donate or sponsor, but it just won’t make it into the ad book. Your support helps ensure that people bereaved due to substance use-related causes never have to grieve alone.
HERE IS SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED AT TSWR RECENTLY!
We were glad to be part of MOAR’s Recovery Day and to stand alongside so many people celebrating recovery and advocating for their needs. Thank you, MOAR, for bringing this community together. It meant a lot to The Sun Will Rise Foundation to be there.
We had a wonderful time at the Power Forward Gala. It was moving to see so many people come together in support of people in recovery. Thank you to the Power Forward Foundation for the work you do.
UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
October 3, 2026 Boston MA TICKETS SOLD OUT!
New Event! When Grief Lives in the Body Saturday 10/24/26 1:30-3:00 pm Tufts Library Weymouth, MA Participants will explore the mind-body connection in grief and learn how to recognize the ways grief may be showing up physically. Through discussion, reflection, gentle grounding practices, and simple body-based exercises, participants will have an opportunity to develop greater awareness and compassion for their own grief responses. The workshop is presented by Julie Foster, a certified grief coach, grief educator and master’s level mental health counselor. REGISTER HERE! Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier, if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported. Registration required. Questions? Contact Judy Kelly: Judyannkelly@gmail.com
Partner Events
18th Annual Charlestown MA Vigil. Dedicated to Smokey this year.
Our partners The Family Restored are holding their 13th annual Memorial Walk. Please join them and walk to remember.
Men’s Group Facilitator & Director of Engagement for TSWR, David Swindell, is hosting a Cornhole Tournament to benefit the CWS foundation, in honor of his son Chris. Sign up your team!
Virtual Book Club starts back up in November!
2026–2027 Reading Selections
November 1, 2026
Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe
by Laura Lynne Jackson
December 6, 2026
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
January 3, 2027
The Last Things I’ll Remember
by Randi Schalet
February 7, 2027
The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion
March 7, 2027
The Disappearance: A Memoir of Loss
by Geneviève Jurgensen
April 4, 2027
The Correspondent
by Virginia Evans
HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND
Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.
Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!
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“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean