Two members of HOPE for Bereaved, a not-for-profit organization that helps grieving children, adults and family, were inducted last weekend into Nottingham High School’s 2010 Wall of Fame.
HOPE founder Therese Schoeneck, a 1950 Nottingham graduate, and board member Don Mawhinney, a 1944 alum, were recognized Oct. 9 for their outstanding contributions to the community.
“I was very honored to be one of the inductees,” Schoeneck said. “[The dinner] was very inspiring and I’m always appreciative to spread the word about HOPE. On behalf of our volunteers, we couldn’t accomplish what we do without their help. And I did it for our daughter, Mary.”
Schoeneck founded HOPE for Bereaved in 1978 after her daughter was killed in a car accident.
At the time, Central New York did not have a support group available for parents dealing with the death of a child. Determined that something positive would come from Mary’s death, Schoeneck formed a bereaved parents’ support group. Eventually, her efforts blossomed, and last year, HOPE served more than 10,000 grieving children and adults through counseling, support groups, the telephone helpline and community education – all free of charge.
Mawhinney is an attorney for Hiscock & Barclay and served as county legislator from 1958 to 1965. He is also on the Onondaga Community College Board of Trustees.
A dinner at Drumlins was attended by more than 200 alumni, friends and family members. The event served as a fundraiser for the high school. Other inductees included Phillip Gordon ’52 (coach), Roberta Badaines King ’54 (community educator), William H. Harris ’59 (musician and teacher), Rick Gary ’63 (broadcaster), John Hohm ’67 (coach) and Congressman Dan Maffei ’86 (U.S. representative).
