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About Tides

Support for every wave of grief

Our Vision

Our vision is to form a community of individuals who have a healthy grief support system for every wave of grief.

Our Mission

Our mission is to serve grieving individuals of all ages by providing a healthy and compassionate support system so no one has to grieve alone.

Meet Our Team

Holly Oxendale

Executive Director
holly.oxendale@tidesprogram.org

Holly is the Executive Director of Tides. She is dedicated to expanding Tides’ impact through community engagement, fundraising and program development. With a passion for supporting families navigating loss, Holly leads initiatives that provide critical resources and compassionate care to those in need.

What do you do to unwind?
“I enjoy quiet hikes in the woods with a good cup of coffee.”

Angie Kempf

Program Manager, School Programming
angie.kempf@tidesprogram.org

Angie has a background in mental health case management, case management supervision, mental health crisis response services and suicide prevention initiatives. She joined Tides in 2022 and developed Tides school programming. Angie enjoys the opportunity to help local students on their grief journey and see them make connections with their peers.

What do you do to unwind?
“I really enjoy watching my daughters in all of their many activities! It brings me so much joy and also helps me unwind.”

Ashley Lopes

Program Manager, Tides Nights
ashley.lopes@tidesprogram.org

Ashley is a social worker with experience in diverse family and community-based organizations. Her expertise extends to program management, ensuring effective and impactful service delivery. After joining Tides in 2024, Ashley has found a renewed passion in supporting grieving individuals and families. She
is committed to expanding Tides’ resources and strengthening its ability to serve those navigating loss.

What do you do to unwind?
“I enjoy reading, I am an avid researcher on various topics, and always have an iced coffee or diet Dr Pepper on hand.”

Evelyn Wald

Grief Support Specialist
evelyn.wald@tidesprogram.org

Evelyn has been a part of Tides since it began. She facilitates our young group (ages 3-8) and has served in many other capacities. Though semi-retired, her life would not be complete without Tides.

What do you do to unwind?
“A walk is both my way to energize and to unwind. A nice hot cup of coffee helps as well.”

Christen Bell

Development Writer
christen.bell@tidesprogram.org

Christen Bell is a development writer specializing in nonprofit communications and grants. She has been with Tides since 2020 and and has enjoyed seeing the incredible growth of programming to support local families.

What do you do to unwind?
“As a mother of three children, unwinding typically includes silence, reading and a hot cup of coffee or tea.”

Danielle Kaniecki

Financial Manager
danielle.kaniecki@tidesprogram.org

Danielle is an experienced accounting professional who joined the Tides team in November 2023. She brings a strong background in financial reporting and corporate accounting, and she is dedicated to upholding Tides’ commitment to financial transparency and accountability. Danielle is excited to be part of an organization that makes a positive impact on the community, and she is passionate about using her skills to support that mission.

What do you do to unwind?
“When I’m not crunching numbers, I enjoy unwinding with a good book or a challenging game of Mah Jong.”

Tides Board of Directors

Stephanie Beaver

Director of Student Services
State College Area School District

Mike Berrena

Retired Sales Manager
Joseph T. Berrena Mechanicals, Inc.

Karen Brown, MD

Palliative Care Physician
UPMC

Leslie B. Finton, MSW

Founder and President

Oncology Patient Navigator
Cancer Program/Mount Nittany Health

Mandy Hartley

Secretary

Finance Manager
TransducerWorks

Eric Hurvitz

Realtor
RE/MAX Centre Realty

Michael Martin

Specialty Account Executive

Oncology at McKesson

Julia Rater

Judge
Centre County Court of Common Pleas

Ashleigh Shetler

Treasurer

Founding Partner
Schooner Executive Search

Matthew D. Shetler, CFA, CFP®, CPFA

Vice President

Resident Director, Senior Vice President
Merrill Lynch

The History of Tides

Tides has been providing grief support services to the Centre County area for over two decades. Thanks to the generous financial support of foundations, corporations, organizations and individuals, all of Tides’ programs, services and resources are offered free of charge. Our history is full of knowledgeable leaders, devoted volunteers and participants who know they do not need to grieve alone.

In 2002, it became evident to Tides Founder, Leslie Finton, that the Centre County region had no grief support for children who had lost a loved one. Leslie had previously helped with a program similar to Tides Nights through her work in Columbus, Ohio. She met with school counselors and other professionals such as, Aileen Galley and Evelyn Wald, in the area and shared her vision for starting a grief support organization for children in Centre County to be based on the Evergreen community support group she worked with in Columbus. From there, a collaborative relationship formed between the Cancer Program at Mount Nittany Health, State College Area School District (SCASD), Brookline Home Care and Hospice and the House of Care to create, implement and found a group, which became Tides.
Molly Snavely was one of the counselors that met with Leslie. She was the school counselor at Mount Nittany Middle School (MNMS) and helped arrange for a meeting space for Tides. Leslie’s idea sparked Molly’s interest because, as a new counselor, she was working with several families who had experienced the loss of a loved one and saw the impact that loss had on their lives. She saw first-hand the desperate need in the local community for a safe environment to share personal grief. It was important for these individuals and families to understand that they were not alone in their grief journey and an organization like Tides could meet that need. In March 2003, Tides held its first meeting with seven families in attendance at MNMS.
In 2007, Tides celebrated five years of serving the Centre County community reaching 58 children and 38 adults. The tremendous growth from its inception in 2002 encouraged Tides staff and volunteers that Tides was meeting a significant need in the Centre County area.
In 2009, Tides received over $200,000 in a three-year grant from the Highmark—Healthy High Five initiative. The purpose of the grant was to expand peer support services to grieving children, adolescents and the people who love them, as well as to raise awareness in our surrounding communities of the needs of grieving children and adolescents. Since the current grant was awarded in 2009, 404% more grieving children/adolescents have been served. They now know that grief is normal and they do not have to grieve alone.
On April 2, 2011, Tides hosted its first annual Happy Valley’s Got Talent event at the State Theatre to a soldout crowd of 571 people. It received tremendous local support from 40 businesses across the area and premiered top talent with over 65 auditions. Happy Valley’s Got Talent has become a cornerstone event for Tides and the event continues today featuring live performances of singing, dancing, instrumentals, and stand-up comedy.
Glenn Fleming at Koch Funeral Home offered a $50,000 matching gift in memory of his wife, Marge Fleming, who had passed away. Tides was challenged to raise a similar amount in a five year period through gifts to the Centre Foundation. If successful, Tides would have a $100,000 endowment fund to provide ongoing financial support to the organization.

The idea of Tides Angels came together over dinner with three couples, including Larry and Molly Snavely, who each pledged $1,000 a year for five years. Molly Snavely was instrumental in Tides Angels and found seven additional people who joined the group and pledged a similar amount to complete the Tides Angels challenge. Tides Angels, as a group, continue to be committed to the long-term viability of the organization.

Since 2009, Tides has received over $150,000 from the Shaner Golf Tournament, including $50,000 in 2018. The JB Griffin Memorial Foundation was formed in memory of and to honor the life of JB Griffin, Chief Financial Officer of Shaner Corp. JB was a loving husband and father of five children who lost his battle with cancer in August 2011. The JB Griffin Memorial Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization formed to provide financial support to charitable organizations that assist people in need in the communities in which Shaner does business, including the State College area. Tides has been a grateful recipient of proceeds from this event.
Like so many other organizations, Tides programming was forced to adapt to the global pandemic in 2020. We gave up gathering in person and instead became all-too-familiar with Zoom and faces on screens. While we missed our in-person gatherings, we are grateful for the technology that allowed us to continue meeting virtually until it was safe to meet in person once again. We are thrilled to be back to regular face-to-face meetings with our Tides families every other Thursday night!
In 2022, Tides launched school based programming to reach more children in need of grief support. This programming is meeting an incredible need for children to experience peer grief support, guided by our School Program Manager Angie Kempf and Grief Support Specialist Evelyn Wald. Children meet during the school day to learn healthy coping strategies, how to share their grief, and most importantly, that they do not need to grieve alone. In 2022, its first full year, School Programming took place in 12 schools across Centre County and supported 130 students.
In 2002, it became evident to Tides Founder, Leslie Finton, that the Centre County region had no grief support for children who had lost a loved one. Leslie had previously helped with a program similar to Tides Nights through her work in Columbus, Ohio. She met with school counselors and other professionals such as, Aileen Galley and Evelyn Wald, in the area and shared her vision for starting a grief support organization for children in Centre County to be based on the Evergreen community support group she worked with in Columbus. From there, a collaborative relationship formed between the Cancer Program at Mount Nittany Health, State College Area School District (SCASD), Brookline Home Care and Hospice and the House of Care to create, implement and found a group, which became Tides.
Molly Snavely was one of the counselors that met with Leslie. She was the school counselor at Mount Nittany Middle School (MNMS) and helped arrange for a meeting space for Tides. Leslie’s idea sparked Molly’s interest because, as a new counselor, she was working with several families who had experienced the loss of a loved one and saw the impact that loss had on their lives. She saw first-hand the desperate need in the local community for a safe environment to share personal grief. It was important for these individuals and families to understand that they were not alone in their grief journey and an organization like Tides could meet that need. In March 2003, Tides held its first meeting with seven families in attendance at MNMS.
In 2007, Tides celebrated five years of serving the Centre County community reaching 58 children and 38 adults. The tremendous growth from its inception in 2002 encouraged Tides staff and volunteers that Tides was meeting a significant need in the Centre County area.
In 2009, Tides received over $200,000 in a three-year grant from the Highmark—Healthy High Five initiative. The purpose of the grant was to expand peer support services to grieving children, adolescents and the people who love them, as well as to raise awareness in our surrounding communities of the needs of grieving children and adolescents. Since the current grant was awarded in 2009, 404% more grieving children/adolescents have been served. They now know that grief is normal and they do not have to grieve alone.
On April 2, 2011, Tides hosted its first annual Happy Valley’s Got Talent event at the State Theatre to a soldout crowd of 571 people. It received tremendous local support from 40 businesses across the area and premiered top talent with over 65 auditions. Happy Valley’s Got Talent has become a cornerstone event for Tides and the event continues today featuring live performances of singing, dancing, instrumentals, and stand-up comedy.
Glenn Fleming at Koch Funeral Home offered a $50,000 matching gift in memory of his wife, Marge Fleming, who had passed away. Tides was challenged to raise a similar amount in a five year period through gifts to the Centre Foundation. If successful, Tides would have a $100,000 endowment fund to provide ongoing financial support to the organization.

The idea of Tides Angels came together over dinner with three couples, including Larry and Molly Snavely, who each pledged $1,000 a year for five years. Molly Snavely was instrumental in Tides Angels and found seven additional people who joined the group and pledged a similar amount to complete the Tides Angels challenge. Tides Angels, as a group, continue to be committed to the long-term viability of the organization.

Since 2009, Tides has received over $150,000 from the Shaner Golf Tournament, including $50,000 in 2018. The JB Griffin Memorial Foundation was formed in memory of and to honor the life of JB Griffin, Chief Financial Officer of Shaner Corp. JB was a loving husband and father of five children who lost his battle with cancer in August 2011. The JB Griffin Memorial Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization formed to provide financial support to charitable organizations that assist people in need in the communities in which Shaner does business, including the State College area. Tides has been a grateful recipient of proceeds from this event.
Like so many other organizations, Tides programming was forced to adapt to the global pandemic in 2020. We gave up gathering in person and instead became all-too-familiar with Zoom and faces on screens. While we missed our in-person gatherings, we are grateful for the technology that allowed us to continue meeting virtually until it was safe to meet in person once again. We are thrilled to be back to regular face-to-face meetings with our Tides families every other Thursday night!
In 2022, Tides launched school based programming to reach more children in need of grief support. This programming is meeting an incredible need for children to experience peer grief support, guided by our School Program Manager Angie Kempf and Grief Support Specialist Evelyn Wald. Children meet during the school day to learn healthy coping strategies, how to share their grief, and most importantly, that they do not need to grieve alone. In 2022, its first full year, School Programming took place in 12 schools across Centre County and supported 130 students.

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