Spring Hope Report Newsletter

A big focus for us in 2023 is financial sustainability to ensure we can continue operating for free at our current capacity. A big part of financial sustainability for non-profits like us is fundraising and collecting donations.

If you're interested in supporting us and our community through fundraising, please reach out to Kelly at fundraising@bereavedfamilies.ca.

Click Here for some ways you can get started with us!

Support Groups

From January 10th-March 30th, we've:

Supported 263 group members through...

48 grief support group sessions.

From January 10th-March 30th, we've:

Facilitated 261 one-to-one peer support sessions.

Welcomed 151 new members to the organization.

Testimonials

"Your groups have been a literal lifesaver - I always feel heard, understood, and connected to others. It makes the grief a little easier to carry."

"I'm so grateful to have these supports available to me, it has been a huge help in my grief journey."

As we welcome new members to the organization, and with some new team members, we wanted to say hello and welcome to the Centre for Grief and Healing.

Joining our team this year, we have Kelly, our Fundraising Event Specialist! You can connect with Kelly if you're looking to support us in fundraising and events.

To learn more about us and our roles, click here! We are a very small but mighty women-led team. We also rely on the kind support of our fantastic volunteers. Check out our Volunteer Recognition Wall!

Click the photo to the right to view our frequently asked questions, how to register, group guidelines, and Spring 2023 groups, topics, and dates. This document comes attached to every group registration as well.

• Virtual Mixed Loss Group: every Tuesday, 6:30pm-8:00pm
• In-Person Mixed Loss Group: 3rd Monday of every month, except holidays and closures
• Virtual Parent & Guardian Loss Group: every Wednesday, 6:30pm-8:00pm
• Virtual Child Loss Group: bi-weekly Wednesdays, 6:30pm-8:00pm
• Virtual Sibling Loss Group: bi-weekly Wednesdays, 6:30pm-8:00pm. Last group for 2023 is April 19th.
• Virtual Partner Loss (Ages 18-50) Group: bi-weekly Thursdays, 6:30pm-8:00pm
• Virtual Partner Loss (Ages 50+) Group: bi-weekly Thursdays, 6:30pm-8:00pm

Reminder! all groups will not run from April 30th to May 14th. Should you like some extra support, you may reach out to these Immediate Distress/Emotional Support Phone Lines.

We are excited to announce that we will be running our very first 6-Week Cancer Loss Grief Support Group (Ages 18+), starting in May.

For more details, please click the photo above. We are not accepting registrations currently, however, we are gathering interest. Those who can commit to attending each week of this group may forward their interest to us at info@bereavedfamilies.ca. Once registration opens in the coming weeks, we will email those who showed interest. Registrations will be first come first serve. This group has the same capacity as our other groups (10 members).

Lydia has volunteered with the Centre for Grief and Healing (BFO-HP) since August 2022, contributing to the organization through group facilitation of various groups, including the in-person mixed loss group. We are incredibly grateful to Lydia for the contributions and support shared with the community, participants and the organization.

We appreciate you and express gratitude for supporting the grieving community! 

View Spotlight Here

If you would like to volunteer with us, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Irish, at volunteering@bereavedfamilies.ca.

We are currently finalizing the details of our 2023 workshops and events. Be on the lookout in your email and follow us on social media to stay updated on this year's workshops, events, and webinars!

On April 28th, we recognize National Day of Mourning (see right). This day is meant to remember those who died at work and is a call to protect the living by making work a place where people can thrive.

In the social services and non-profit field, organizations have a high risk of being exposed to and suffering from psychosocial hazards such as stress, fatigue, violence, increased workloads, aggression, harassment and burnout - to name only a few challenges.

Our Health and Safety Representative, Victoria, and Executive Director, Julia, have worked together to prioritize health and safety for the CFGH team by supporting everyone's mental, physical, and emotional health. However...

We encourage you to research the challenges non-profits can experience, and to #Advocate on behalf of one close to you in hopes of seeing improvements made. Financial sustainability is crucial for social services to thrive. Be a part of keeping workplaces healthy and safe, today!

We also encourage you to observe a moment of silence alongside us at 11:00am on April 28th for the lives lost due to workplace tragedies.💜

Championed by our Volunteer Manager, Irish, and co-chaired by Victoria, our Social Service Manager, the Centre for Grief and Healing put together an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee in Fall 2022. We also have some fantastic volunteers on the committee! Here are some of the ways we've been implementing IDEA into the organization and for our members since September 2022:

• Ongoing trainings and workshops on Accessibility, Anti-Racism, Indigenous Perspectives and Historical Trauma, Intersectionality, Marginalization and Oppression, Power, Privilege, and Bias, plus so much more
• Ensuring our website is fully accessible
• Adding ALT text on our social media posts
• Created a IDEA statement and accessibility statement
• Policy and procedure revision
• Conducting needs assessments on our programs, supports, and procedures
• Receiving your feedback to implement your voice and suggestions into our program as they align with our IDEA values and goals
• Starting a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) Grief Support Group in 2024
• Recognizing gaps within services and supports to create and offer holistic programming
• Added a Land Acknowledgment to our group supports, events, and website
• Reviewing and editing programs, policies, and procedures on an ongoing basis to ensure they are accessible, equitable, and inclusive
• Changing staff's 'Bereavement Leave' policy to be more equitable
• Discussing as a team how our power and privilege can affect the organization and community
• ...plus so much more!

*NEW* IDEA Organization Statement

Fostering Hope and Healing for All Walks of Life.

We've come a long way since 1989 and still have a ways to go. Why? At the Centre for Grief and Healing (CFGH), diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility don't have an end date. We strive to foster an unending commitment to learning from, working with, creating programs for and supporting our diverse community members and their unique grief experiences. Our team is dedicated to including diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible practices at the center of our daily work. We commit to using and improving these practices for our organization and for our communities.

Our team provides mutual, inclusive support through diverse programming, endless advocacy, and community education. We strive to foster belonging and empowerment for all of our members, staff, volunteers, and students. We listen to and engage with all walks of life and we value and welcome all unique experiences and qualities: both visible and invisible. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and they are central to our purpose and to our impact.

Join us in embracing and celebrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for all people in all communities.

We grow together today, to create a better tomorrow.