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Gearing up for Grief Awareness Month in November

As November approaches, we’re gearing up for Grief Awareness Month. Since 2014 this has been an impactful way to raise awareness about grief, educate, and support our community.

Here are a few of the special announcements and highlights that will be happening in November.

Key highlights include:

Centre of Excellence for Grief and Bereavement: Introduced at the 2023 all-staff meeting, this initiative will be featured throughout the month, showcasing its current offerings and plans for the future.

Grief Text and Online Support Relaunch: The team is working diligently to relaunch this program on November 19.

Grief and the Holidays Workshop: A practical, in-person session designed to help attendees navigate the challenges of grief during the holiday season.

Interactive “Tear Soup” Display: This display, inspired by the beloved book Tear Soup, will be featured at six Hamilton Public Library locations from November 1 to January 31, encouraging personal reflection on grief. As we did last year, a smaller display will be thoughtfully set up at our house for the month of November.

Light It Up Blue Campaign – 'Be Grief Kind': Our house will be illuminated in blue, and we invite staff and corporate partners to join the initiative by picking up their blue kits. More details to come.

Additionally, we’ll be taking a group photo on November 19 – please wear blue to show unity and support.

More information to come!

EDIB Committee Highlight - From Learning to Action

Our EDIB (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging) committee continues to focus on creating meaningful change. Every other meeting, we dedicate time to learning, and the following meeting, we use that knowledge to create actionable steps toward progress.

At a recent meeting, we explored four foundational resources from the HPCO conference, which were shared with the committee. These links sparked insightful discussions, broadening our perspectives and deepening our understanding.

In our next meeting, we’ll be transforming this learning into concrete actions. Stay tuned for more details as we move forward with these important initiatives.

For your interest and knowledge, here are resources shared at the meeting. These resources come from Holly Prince, an Anishinaabekwe and a member of Opwaaganisiniing in Northwestern Ontario. She presented ‘There is Medicine in Diversity’ at the HPCO conference in June 2023.

1.Truth and Reconciliation

2. 2015 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

3. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People

4. Indigenous End of Life Resources

Get your Holiday Plants - Orders Close on Nov. 8th

We are well on the way to reaching the fundraising goal for the 10th annual Holiday Plant Fundraiser. Nimrah Baba is now leading this endeavour, taking over from Karen Nowicki after her retirement. If you’d like to place an order, the details are below. We also encourage you to share this with friends and family to help support this annual fundraiser.

Available Options:

Poinsettias (Red, Pink, White, Tricolor)

6.5" pot for $15
10" pot for $32

Red Amaryllis

6" Pot (1 bulb) $15
10" Pot (3 bulbs) $32

Preorder & prepay by November 8th at noon.

Pick-up available starting December 4th.

Order Now

Ti-Cat Campaign Ends Oct 31st

More than 850 signature Ti-Cat shirts have been sold in support of KCN programs and Keaton's House!

FirstOntario Credit Union is generously providing a TiCat shirt for each staff member - please see Claudia to pick up your complimentary shirt. Note the opportunity to get your shirt ends on October 30th.

Fill in the form (see below) for your sizing and pick-up preference. If we run out of your size, we will get it.

NOTE: Choose your shirt size through the form and pick it up the next day. (NOTE IF CLAUDIA IS ON HOLIDAYS, PICK UP WILL BE THE NEXT DAY).

For your complimentary shirt - enter your size here!

Purchase shirts here

Around the House

The Hamilton Children’s Choir gave a master class performance for the resident and her family who were able to attend. It was a truly memorable experience! Special thanks to the clinical staff for assisting in bringing her to the great room.

Committees

Committee	Next Meeting	Register With
Social Committee	Friday, October 25th 1pm	Claudia
Residential Task Force	November 18th	Suzanne or Debbie
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee (EDIB)	November 14th 1-2pm	Suzanne
Well-being Committee	November 5th, 1-2pm	Gabriele or Suzanne

“Struggling doesn't mean you're failing-- it can serve as an entry point for change.”

- Suzanne Conroy, KCN's Leadership Coach

Click here to book an appointment with Suzanne

If you have an update to share in the next KCN Insider, please send it to Jennifer Rowan at jrowan@kempcarenetwork.org

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