How long have you been volunteering with the Centre for Grief & Healing (BFO-H/P)?
I have been volunteering with the organization since August 2019.
What made you want to volunteer with the Centre for Grief & Healing (BFO-H/P)?
I think anyone who has suffered through grief understands the difficulty in navigating the journey. The road winds and curves with multiple delays, and there is no Google Maps to provide directions. For the country lanes, well past dusk, where darkness seems to swallow HI beams. I wanted to be part of an organization which provides light to those lost in loss.
What is your favourite part about volunteering with the Centre for Grief & Healing (BFO-H/P)?
Aside from the kind souls with whom I am blessed to associate, there are two aspects I particularly favour. The first is the opportunity to help another by drawing upon my own experiences with loss. From pain to purpose. The silver lining of grief, I like to say. It is a beautiful way to transmigrate what was once no more than memory.
The second is the connection and community unlike what we regularly encounter. The sense of commonality, a collective support for those whom know what it is like. It is wonderful to witness (when we see we are not alone).
What is one thing about grief & bereavement that you would like our participants/members to know?
"(To A Text) Not Intended For Me"
From the heart the exalted heavy
words to be heard somehow.
There is a day when this does heal.
Soon the shades are a sunrise.
Soon the trowel undersea
tills the tears.
Washed out seasons of dry spell.
These fingers flood pages.
Melancholy slivers.
May the moonlight still the surface.
Bereavement is an independent journey.
Bereft is the isolation.
When forever in
you have breathed.
Then yesterday was audible.
Unearth the rock in the rain.
Hand samples sound of our sand.
May the moonlight still the surface.
These stones they are a shiver.
Grief is the ripples of loss.
Today can be the shore.
If you need somewhere to share yours:
What is one suggestion you would make to new volunteer recruits about the volunteer role?
To understand each story of grief is unique. The journey is independent. There will be times your heart will break as you hear each tale unfold. It is a humanity for which it is difficult to prepare. To watch another suffer... But most rewarding are those moments, when our souls are shared.
We would like to give a huge thank you to Mark for his poetic observations of grief and his continued support and empathy to our community, as both a Events Committee Volunteer as well as a Volunteer Facilitator. He is truly such an asset to our charity and we couldn't have shared these stories without you!
Every volunteer is important to us at the Centre For Grief & Healing. If you have a talent, skill, or profession that you think could contribute towards our mission, we would love to hear from you!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and making an impact in your community, please visit
our website
to get started!

