Alan Pedersen and The Angels Across the USA Tour
“On August 15th of 2001, life as I knew it ended and life as I now know it began. I received a phone call that day telling me that my 18-year-old and only daughter, Ashley, had been killed in an automobile accident. The journey of grief has been long and hard and I continue to walk through life with a missing piece of my heart. Through the darkness of my grief, I have also found many blessings in celebrating Ashley’s life. By sharing my story and music with others who have experienced loss, I have found tremendous healing…â€
About Ashley’s Dad, Alan Pedersen
♥ ASHLEY’S DAD, FOREVER AND ALWAYS
♥ FOUNDER, ANGELS ACROSS THE USA TOUR
♥ HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR –HEALING HEARTS FOUNDATION
♥ FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS
♥ NATIONALLY REVERED WORKSHOP PRESENTER
♥ SINGER, SONGWRITER, AUTHOR, GRIEF SPECIALIST
♥ “TONIGHT I HOLD THIS CANDLEâ€, COMPOSER, VOCALIST
Alan Pedersen is an award-winning speaker, songwriter and recording artist, who has been performing for more than 25 years. He spent several years writing and recording music in Nashville, Tennessee, with many of his songs recorded by other artists. Alan’s talent for reaching people through his words has not been limited to music; he has written commercials, radio news copy, and collaborations for television shows and comedy projects. His performing credits are numerous as well. Alan has worked as an actor, stand-up comedian, keynote speaker/emcee, and in radio as a network news and sports reporter for Westwood One Communications.
And then his daughter, Ashley Marie Pedersen was killed in a motor vehicle accident in August , 2001.
And Every Thing Changed.
This tragedy would take his life in a direction Alan never imagined. Struggling for months to find answers and trying to cope with tremendous pain and anger, he entered a grief program in Denver, Colorado and began attending monthly meetings of The Compassionate Friends. Alan credits these organizations with saving his life and inspiring him to honor his daughter’s life by helping others.
In July of 2003, Alan released a CD of songs he had written about his walk through the valley of grief, titled “Ashley’s Songbookâ€. In 2006, he released a follow up CD titled “A Little Farther Down The Roadâ€.
Alan now helps others by sharing his story of hope and living within and beyond grief. His message is simple; grief and loss offer the opportunity for ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. He believes that healing begins
when we once again give of ourselves by helping others.
Alan speaks and plays his music for churches and grief organizations around the country. His inspirational message of hope and his music have resonated deeply with those facing a loss or adversity in their lives and have made him one of the most popular, in-demand presenters in the world on finding Hope After Loss. Since Ashley’s death, Alan has traveled to more than 1,500 cities speaking and playing his original music. He has been featured in hundreds of local newspapers across the country. He has given interviews, written articles and contributed his expertise to many major media outlets including: The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, O Magazine, Lifezette, Every Day Health, Open to Hope and dozens of local affiliates of NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox.
Along this journey, Alan also found another way to help other grieving people. In December of 2013, Alan took a break from being on the road when he was asked to serve as the Executive Director of the largest grief organization in the world, The Compassionate Friends, which provides support to nearly one million people annually who are grieving the death of child, grandchild or sibling. He had long been one of the most sought after keynote speakers and presenters at the annual TCF Conferences and Bereaved Parents USA Gatherings. For four years, Alan successfully led TCF, retiring when the call to the road, once again, spoke to him.
He has received numerous awards as a performing artist, a humanitarian and for his work in the field of grief and loss. He was named Professional of the Year by The Compassionate Friends in 2010, and Humanitarian of the Year from the Bobby Resciniti Healing Hearts Foundation in 2011.
Alan is currently on the road with The Angels Across the USA Tour where he will speak and perform in over 100 U.S. cities in 2019.
The Angels Across the USA Tour/is all about hope,
featuring the message and music of Alan Pedersen.
The Tour is supported by hundreds of families and organizations who sponsor butterfly decals bearing the names and hometowns of their loved ones who have died. These decals are lovingly placed on the Angels Across the USA van which travels across the country.
The Tour works with organizations large and small who are reaching out to those in grief and offers to present Alan’s program regardless of their ability to pay a fee or all of the expenses of travel. The Angels Tour travels to more than 100 cities annually.
The Compassionate Friends East of The River CT Chapter, will, once again, be hosting Alan and the Angels Across The USA Tour Spring 2019. Bereaved families, friends, relatives, support and grief professionals are encouraged to attend what promises to another heartwarming, remarkable Alan Pedersen event. ♥
Facebook.com/AngelsUSATour
AngelsAcrossTheUSA.org
THE WORDS OF ALAN PEDERSEN – BLOGS
♥ I Lost My Daughter and I Lost Hope, Until I Faced My Grief
(posted in EVERYDAY HEALTH)
♥ WHO AM I NOW?
♥ I AM A GRIEVING PARENT
♥ GRIEF IS LIKE SHOPPING AT JC PENNEY
♥ COMPASSION VS COMPARISON
LISTEN TO A SAMPLING OF SOME FAVORITE ALAN PEDERSEN MUSIC
