Raha Kudo Design for Dying

Board of Directors

President: Jim Marshall
Secretary:
Financial Officer: Suzanne Wouk

Board Members
Jackie Fitzhenry
Jeremy Griffey

Medical Advisors:
Arnold Leff, M.D.
Ralph Potkin, M.D.
Joshua Schiffman, M.D.

Advisors:
Ram Dass
Michael Corral
Suzanne Pfeil

Executive Director:
Valerie Leveroni Corral

Raha Kudo:
Design for Dying Project
Non-profit 501(c) Corporation
20-4251364
Mailing Address:
849 Almar Street #C317
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831.425-0423
ask@rahakudo.org
rahakudo.org

Valerie Leveroni Corral on:
A home care experience

I had completed the four-month vigil at
the Santa Cruz home of my beloved friend.“L” was a single mother of a 16-year-old girl. More than 30 volunteers organized as a team to meet the ongoing needs that facing death requires. On a summer morning, “L” died peacefully.

I had prepared her body for honoring;
washing, anointing and dressing her.
I was grateful for many things. I was
grateful that we could carry out her wish
to die at home surrounded by family and friends. I was grateful that her daughter’s loving touch and last utterance of love hung in the room as the thread to carry “L” into what lay beyond.

After some time a hospice worker arrived, she stood quietly looking at L’s adorned body, cloaked in red silk, haloed by flowers, candles burning.

After a long silence, she spoke, “I haven’t seen anything like this since I was in India.This is beautiful.”

Since 1993 at our collective,
Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana
(WAMM, www.wamm.org), we have
witnessed the death of at least one
member a month from terminal illness.
Some of our patients were alone and
without resources. In these cases, and
whenever asked, other WAMM members
organized into caregiver teams
to help our friends greet death with as
comfortable and noble a transition as
possible.

We have designed Raha Kudo, meaning
the pathway to heaven, as a comprehensive
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our extraordinary approach combines
all aspects of care and support
within a loving environment.
Information gained is organized and
presented for the enrichment of the dying,
their loved ones and for the benefit
of others and our caregivers.
Our mission sets Raha Kudo apart
from other human service organizations.
Our dedication to education and research
is crucial in developing a depth
of care and understanding essential in
the exploration of alternatives during
death’s journey.

HELP US...
HELP YOU...

Our aim at Raha Kudo, Design for
Dying Project is to offer help when
death approaches, assisting in all aspects
that may arise; providing a
personalized model of support, including
organizing schedules, 24-hour care,
and identifying and sharing the balance
of tasks.

Raha Kudo is made up of a sensitive,
compassionate team to fill in the gaps
of care as needed.

We see ourselves as midwives to the
dying, extending a choice for deinstitutionalization
at this critical time of
life, helping people stay in their own
homes as they prepare for what lay
beyond.

Mission Statement
The Raha Kudo, Design for Dying Project is a nonprofit public benefit corporation. The specific purposes for which this corporation is organized are to provide services of care to support education and research for persons facing death, and to provide respite for caregivers availing services through ongoing education and support.

A Place Where
Caregivers Count

Each caregiver is an essential element of our work. How do we enrich the lives of those who provide the most needed service, sitting with our loved ones as they face death? To serve the dying can be a life

altering experience, it is after all to be in the presence of the masters. While this work enriches each of us profoundly it is also deeply demanding. Recognizing the toll that caregiving demands has lead us to identify and address much needed care for our caregivers.

more about us...

Raha Kudo is organized exclusively for charitable purposes. Specifically the activities and operations of this nonprofit organization lay in the development of avenues of care for individuals at the most important time of their lives, as they face death. It is our intent to provide in-home care and support to promote a more peaceful end of life experience. Providing personalized care is an essential piece of our strategy, but entwining this aspect within the context of a learning center where information garnered can be organized and presented for the benefit and enrichment of dying individuals, their loved ones, families and the general public sets Raha Kudo apart from other human services organizations. Education is crucial in developing a depth of care and understanding

in the exploration of alternatives in facing death. People should have a choice about how they die as they do about how they live. We believe that people should have a right to die the way that they wish. Our goal is to provide a serene, safe and beautiful location where people, who are close to the transition and their families, can focus on the spiritual journey rather the confusion and fear that often is associated with a death of a loved one.

"Set and Setting"

The Raha Kudo Guesthouse will be fully supported by hospice and an experienced, loving staff, who will provide the set and setting, drawing on many years of experience helping people transition to the "other side".