Programs

How the work is built

Four pillars, seven programs, and a growing set of initiatives. The foundation was formed in 2026 and no programs have run yet, so everything below is marked as planned.

The Four Pillars

What each pillar means, and what we do under it

Every program the foundation runs stands on these four.

Fishing

What it means
Time on the water, the practice that anchors the foundation and the memory it was built on.
What we do
First Cast is a first trip out with a mentor, the easiest way in. The Reel Brothers Retreat is time away together, focused on grief, healing and faith. Both are planned for the first year.
Who it serves
Anyone carrying the loss of someone significant, whether they have fished all their life or have never held a rod.

Faith

What it means
Scripture as the frame for grief, with each program grounded in a specific passage and a biblical figure.
What we do
Every program on the Wheel pairs a figure from the Bible with a stage of grief and a passage of scripture, read in the NIV. Reel Talk is our Bible study. Every meeting of the foundation opens and closes in prayer.
Who it serves
Anyone navigating a loss who is open to walking through it with scripture.

Fellowship

What it means
Being around people carrying something similar, so the weight is shared rather than carried alone.
What we do
Cohorts walk through a season together. Let's Be Reel roundtables make room for honest talk about what is going on. You Can't Do It Alone builds a bridge to professional help when a friend is not enough.
Who it serves
Young adults especially, and anyone who has lost a significant loved one and does not want to carry it alone.

Foundation

What it means
Rebuilding what steadies you, so the new normal has something solid underneath it.
What we do
Learning How to Fish teaches practical life skills through the lens of living without the person you lost. Write It Out helps you plan for what comes after. Kingdom Builder is about building something that lasts.
Who it serves
People rebuilding after a loss, especially young adults taking on responsibilities they did not expect to carry yet.

Where things stand

What exists today, and what is planned

No programs have run yet. We would rather say that plainly than dress it up, so here is exactly where things stand.

Today

  • A legal home. Reel Brothers Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in Maryland on May 18, 2026.
  • A founding board. Seated and meeting since July 16, 2026, with bylaws and a conflict of interest policy adopted.
  • A program framework. Seven programs, each tied to a stage of grief and a passage of scripture. That is the Wheel, below.

Planned

  • The first cohort. A small group walking through a season together, in the first year.
  • The first Reel Brothers Retreat. Time away focused on grief, healing and faith, also in the first year.
  • More cities. Cohorts in Atlanta, the DMV and the New York tri-state area are part of the plan for year two.

The Wheel Planned

Grief does not move in a straight line, so the Wheel does not either. You start wherever grief meets you and come back around as often as you need. Each program pairs a figure from the Bible with a passage of scripture and a stage of grief.

The Wheel Learning How to Fish, tied to Jesus and acceptance, sits at the center. Six programs sit on a circle around it, each connected to the center: Reel Talk, Write It Out, Let's Be Reel, You Can't Do It Alone, The Reel Olympics and Kingdom Builder. II Reel Talk Depression III Write It Out Shock IV Let's Be Reel Bargaining V You Can't Do It Alone Denial VI The Reel Olympics Testing VII Kingdom Builder Anger I Learning How to Fish Acceptance
Start anywhere. Grief does not move in order, so you can move between programs in any direction, and every program connects to the center.

I · At the center

Learning How to Fish

JesusMatthew 4:19Acceptance

The center of the Wheel, and the place every stage moves toward. Practical life skills, taught through the lens of living without the person you lost.

Reel Talk

JesusMatthew 18:19-20Depression

Bible study for the heavy seasons, where iron sharpens iron.

Write It Out

HabakkukHabakkuk 2:2Shock

Putting the plan on paper: planning for what comes after, including your own after.

Let's Be Reel

JobJob 13:3Bargaining

Honest roundtables about what is going on and how to keep going.

You Can't Do It Alone

NehemiahNehemiah 2:17-18Denial

A bridge to professional help: finding a therapist, and tools to lean on until you do.

The Reel Olympics

Paul1 Corinthians 9:24-27Testing

Discernment after loss. Knowing seasons of testing will come, and learning the discipline to navigate them and keep running your race.

Kingdom Builder

SolomonEcclesiastes 3:1Anger

Building something that lasts, for yourself and for the people who come after you.

Initiatives in development Planned

Initiatives are the actual projects that run under the programs. New ideas are added here rather than to the Wheel, so this list will grow.

  • First Cast

    Learning How to Fish

    A first trip out with a mentor. The easiest way in.

  • Elder Interview Series

    Write It Out · You Can't Do It Alone

    Every time an elder dies, a library burns. Participants sit with elders who agree to share their life stories and record them, with consent at every step. The family keeps what is made.

  • Discernment Camp

    The Reel Olympics

    After a loss, it becomes clear who is really in your corner. This is about learning to tell the difference.

  • Legacy Builder

    Kingdom Builder

    Protecting what you build for the people you love, including the basics of life insurance. It picks up work Michael Anthony Cummings II was doing before he passed, and it will only launch alongside a licensed partner.

Impact

Year one

There are no numbers to report yet, because programs have not started. Instead of implying a history we do not have, here is what is done and what the first year is meant to accomplish.

Done So far

  1. May 18, 2026Incorporated in Maryland
  2. July 16, 2026Founding board seated, bylaws and conflict of interest policy adopted
  3. July 1, 2026Seven programs mapped to scripture and the stages of grief
  4. October 23, 2026Junior Board Representative seated, completing the board

By April 2027 Goals

  • Run the first cohort
  • Hold the first Reel Brothers Retreat
  • Finish building out the programs with the board

Once programs begin, this section will report the people served and the partners involved.

Walk with us from the start

If you are grieving, or you want to help bring these programs to life, reach out.

Reach outPartner with us