Foundation

Although the Aaron Schaffer Jensen Family Foundation (ASJFF) was officially organized as a 501 (c) (3) charity in March 2021, our work began ten years earlier. To be exact, it began on July 2, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. with the phone call: my only child had died of sudden cardiac arrest, at 37.

When Aaron died, every culturally sanctioned platitude you can think of was tossed my way:

“Everything happens for a reason.”
“Aaron wouldn’t want you to be so sad.”
“You must focus on the happy memories.”
“Aaron would want you to be strong.”
“Remember the happy times.”
“You must find a distraction.”
“You should get back to work and let things get back to normal,” etc., etc., and etc..

At one point, I was even told, “Buck up Cathy. You are not the only person whose child has died.” While that was certainly true, I knew what the person really wanted to say was, “Shut up about your crazy experiences with the dead and accept that Aaron is gone.” But I couldn’t. Because he wasn’t. And he showed me repeatedly.

It took me many years to be able to understand that my experiences with the dead contradict neither science nor religion. They only contradict old scientific models and age-old religious misunderstandings.

Our premise: Believe nothing about death. Find out about it for yourself.

Our mission: to motivate YOU to acquire the truth that death is not a dead end.

To this end, our goals include being able to:

offer the book Finding Aaron, a spiritual practice beyond belief at cost.
facilitate workshops, lectures, discussion groups, and other public events.
train others to facilitate these same types of events without our physical presence.
provide free materials for every event.
make Animated Garden Retreats available to all grievers.

The Aaron Schaffer Jensen Family Foundation is a volunteer organization, i.e. there are no paid staff. As a 501(c)(3) charity, your donations are not only greatly appreciated; they are also tax deductible. With your help (sharing the book, volunteering your time, and hosting events) we will succeed with our mission. Slowly but surely. Family by Family.