Page 18 - BPW BERKELEY BULLETIN - Edition 22 - February 2024 - with attachments
P. 18
GRIEF
“No Time LimiT- Stages are phases OF
accepTaNce aNd hope.”
Tuesday 20th February, 2024—5:00 pm PT - 8:00 pm ET
Register: https://www.nfbpwc.org/event-5556461
Born in Montreal, Canada, Ellen lived there until 1996, when she moved with
her family to Southern California.
She cofounded the 501(c ) 3 nonprofit charity, The Emily Shane Foundation,
to honor the memory of her youngest child, Emily Rose Shane, following her tragic
murder at the age of 13 in April 2010. Emily was in 8th grade in middle school and
struggled academically. She fell into a “grey” area; not needing or qualifying for
Ellen Shane special education, yet having trouble achieving her best academic ability without
outside support.
Due to a lack of resources within the educational system to address students like Emily, the
foundation established a unique educational initiative, the SEA (Successful Educational Achievement)
Program. The SEA Program empowers underserved students in the mainstream middle school classroom
with individualized and intensive essential academic tutoring and mentorship. The program is comprehen-
sive and was developed with a middle school teacher with over 40 years of classroom experience.
The SEA Program solely serves those unable to afford this support. Since its inception in the spring of 2012,
the SEA Program has made a difference in the lives of over 1000 middle schoolers across Los Angeles and
Ventura counties.
In addition to her full-time work with the foundation, where she serves as Executive Director, Ellen
is a wife, mother, dog lover, public speaker, and author. She also works privately to coach and support
clients dealing with loss and grief.
Ellen released a children’s book, Emily’s Gift in 2020. The book relates the real-life tale of how Emily
brought two dogs into her pet-less family through persistence and a lot of heart.
Ellen received President Barack Obama’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service in
2015, the Malibu Times Citizen of the Year Dolphin Award in 2013, the KNX 1070 Honda Hero of the Week
in October 2018, in addition to other honors. She has a B Comm. degree in Management with a concen-
tration in both Marketing and Organizational Behavior from McGill University in Montreal.
