Purpose Prize

Marc Freedman Portrait

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Lasting Impact

Lasting Impact

CoGenerate Co-CEO Marc Freedman’s most recent book, How to Live Forever, was published by Hachette/Public Affairs in 2018, generating a lot of great attention. And it’s not over yet! Every week, the New York Times Sunday Opinion section includes a print-only feature...

Check Out Our Signature Event On Cogenerational Activism!

Check Out Our Signature Event On Cogenerational Activism!

On May 22, more than 1,100 people registered to learn more about the important cogenerational work our 2023 Innovation Fellows are doing. These 15 leaders are bringing generations together to solve problems and bridge divides. And each one has a unique and inspiring...

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Ken Reich

Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists (SOFAR)
Purpose Prize Fellow 2009

Darwin and Reich coordinate free psychological counseling to families of U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard members deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait.

Jaine Darwin, former president of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Psychoanalysis, and Kenneth Reich, former president of the Psychoanalytic Couples and Family Institute of New England, recognize the potential devastating impact on families of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. That insight led them in 2004 to form Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists, which provides free psychological support and related services to relatives. Darwin and Reich feel that while the stress a family faces during deployment can be overwhelming, the difficulties relatives encounter when soldiers return are often just as profound. The organization addresses the increasing problem of suicide by offering educational programs to train family members to identify veterans at risk. Volunteer mental health professionals lead family support sessions; provide individual counseling services; and refer family members to other licensed professionals outside the organization’s network if additional assistance is needed. SOFAR volunteers have interacted with approximately 10,000 family members of soldiers and veterans. Says Reich: “We have the constant satisfaction of the gratitude we hear expressed by the families with whom we work. This doesn’t pay the bills, but it certainly feeds our souls.”