The Wind Phone was installed by Threshold Residential Services as part of a deeply personal project for the team.

“This project is deeply personal for our team; while it aligns with a global movement, it also serves as a special tribute to the memory of Tammy Cope, the late sister of our longtime staff member, Amy Cope,” Katie Black said.

The Wind Phone is a rotary phone booth that serves as a dedicated, quiet space for people to process grief and speak to departed loved ones, she said.

The phone can be found in the Community Sensory Garden located at the corner of North Walnut and West Taggart streets.

Shown is the placard on the new Wind Phone in the Threshold Residential Services’ Community Sensory Garden. (Submitted photo)

Threshold Residential Services is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with developmental disabilities.

The organization’s growing Community Sensory Garden was designed to serve Threshold individuals and the East Palestine community, offering “a restorative and inclusive space that engages the senses and fosters emotional well-being for all who visit,” the organization said.

Wind Phones are not connected to any utilities and there are currently 416 Wind Phones in the United States, according to mywindphone.com

There are only 56 international Wind Phones locations.

This Wind Phone is the only one in Columbiana County, with the next closest Wind Phone located in Berlin Lake.

“When it was brought to my attention that Threshold would be building and installing the Wind Phone in our very own Sensory Garden, I was extremely grateful. And in memory of my sister? I am still overjoyed and just speechless. What an honor! The Wind Phone offers a space not necessarily for grieving alone, but for connection and emotional release. It serves as an outlet for sharing updates, memories, or goodbyes that death interrupted. I am not sure how to say thank you enough. The support means more than anything. I am proud to be a part of such a great team,” Amy Cope, Fiscal Clerk for Threshold Residential Services, said.

Threshold Residential Services CEO Chris Page said the Wind Phone is a powerful, tangible, testament to the organization’s unwavering commitment to community and well-being of those it serves.

“By transforming our Sensory Garden into a space for healing and connection, we are not only honoring a cherished member of the Threshold family, but reinforcing our core mission to foster an inclusive environment where every individual, resident, and neighbor feels seen, supported, and connected,” he said.