Hope Report: Mid-Year 2025 Newsletter

At the Centre for Grief and Healing, we often talk about the power of transitions: the way loss and new beginnings coexist, and how growth is born from change. As an organization rooted in community and compassion, we are navigating a transition of our own.

This month, we say a heartfelt goodbye to Irish, our incredible Volunteer Manager. Irish has poured her heart into this role, supporting our volunteers with warmth, kindness, and unwavering dedication. Her impact on our community is immeasurable, and we are so grateful for the time, care, and leadership she has shared with us. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors. 

At the same time, we are so excited to warmly welcome Samantha into the Volunteer Manager position. Many of you already know Samantha from her time as our Intake Worker and Outreach Coordinator. Her deep understanding of our programs, her compassion for those grieving, and her commitment to creating meaningful volunteer experiences make her the perfect person to step into this role. We can’t wait to see the impact she’ll continue to make in this new chapter.

We also want to remind you that our 2025 Walk to Remember is fast approaching on Saturday, September 20, 2025, and registration is open! Walk to Remember is more than a memorial event. It’s a lifeline for our organization. Every dollar raised ensures we can continue providing free, accessible grief support to those in our community who are hurting.

To put things in perspective: it costs, on average, $276.72 to facilitate eight individual support sessions, often the beginning of someone’s healing journey. Your donation helps make those first steps possible. Whether you join the walk, start a team, or make a contribution, your support has a direct and tangible impact.

Register or donate: www.bereavedfamilies.ca/walktoremember2025

Thank you for being part of this community. In the transitions, in the healing, and in the quiet acts of generosity, you are helping others feel less alone.

Julia Duz

Executive Director

Centre for Grief and Healing

As we continue to welcome new faces to the organization, we wanted to say hello and welcome to the Centre for Grief and Healing (BFO-H/P)!

We’re also saying a heartfelt goodbye to Irish, who has been a valued part of our team — we’ll miss her warmth, compassion, and contributions deeply. A new team member will be joining us in August, and we look forward to introducing them to you soon.

As a small yet powerful women-led team, we take pride in our unique perspectives and leadership. To learn more about us, [click here], and don’t forget to explore our Volunteer Recognition Wall, showcasing the generosity and dedication of our fantastic volunteers!

🍋 Host a Lemonade Stand or Bake Sale for a Cause!

Looking for a fun, easy way to support our programs this summer?

Whether you're a family, a group of friends, or just someone who loves a good cup of lemonade, hosting a lemonade stand or bake sale is a simple and meaningful way to give back.

💛 You can:

– Set up a stand on your driveway, at a local park, or during a community event

– Sell homemade treats, iced tea, or lemonade

– Share a short note or sign about why you’re supporting us

– Donate the proceeds directly to our Centre to help us continue offering free grief support!

These small moments of community care go a long way in helping us keep our programs going and they’re also a beautiful way to honour someone you miss.

If you’re planning to host one, let us know! We’d love to cheer you on or feature your efforts in our newsletter and social media.

Thank you for turning kindness into action this summer. 💛

Click Here to Start Your Own Fundraiser!

Support Groups

From January to June, we:

Saw 510+ group visits through...



113+ grief support group sessions.

From January to June, we:

Facilitated 339+ one-to-one grief peer support sessions.



Welcomed 220+ new members to the organization.

Here’s What We’ve Been Up To This Year

So far in 2025, we’ve been grateful to offer a wide range of grief support programs, including:

• 3 ongoing weekly groups: Friends & Family Loss, Parent/Guardian Loss, and Partner Loss
• An 8-week in-person Friends & Family Loss group
• A 6-week Child Loss group
• Two 6-week 2SLGBTQIA+ Loss groups
• One 6-week BIPOC Grief Healing Circle
• Two 8-week Overdose Loss groups
• Two 8-week Suicide Loss groups
• One-to-one peer support sessions
• Educational webinars and workshops

What’s Coming This Fall?

We're continuing to expand our grief support programs. This fall, we’re offering:

• Our regular weekly support groups
• An 8-week Sudden & Traumatic Loss group for youth (ages 13–17) and one for young adults (ages 18–24)
• A 6-week Child Loss group
• An in-person Friends & Family Loss group (8+ weeks)
• Death Cafés — open community conversations about death, dying, and grief

As we transition from summer into fall, our team is going through some changes. With a valued staff member leaving, we’re busy training a new team member and adapting to shifted roles. Alongside this, summer students are finishing up, new fall students and volunteers are joining, and we’re preparing for our biggest fundraiser of the year in September.

During this time of growth and transition, we have limited capacity for new one-to-one support session bookings through September. We truly appreciate your understanding as we work hard to continue providing the best support possible for everyone in our community.

We’re also excited to collaborate with Bereaved Families of Ontario – Toronto, offering their participants spots in our grief support groups this summer.

And a Little Renovation Update...

We’ve also been busy this summer giving our office a much-needed refresh, done entirely by our team!

Click here to learn more about our renovations and to see the before & after photos. We’re not quite done yet, but we’re getting there. Stay tuned to see our community mural in our group room (now named "The Rotary Room")!

If you’d like to support us with in-kind donations such as a carpet cleaner, gently used, modern furniture, lighting, or décor, please reach out to executivedirector@bereavedfamilies.ca — every contribution helps create a more welcoming space for our community!

Click the photo to view our frequently asked questions, how to register for group, group guidelines, and Summer 2025 groups, topics, and dates. This document comes attached to every group registration and can also be found on our website here.

Upcoming and Current Support Groups (ages 18+ unless otherwise noted):

• Virtual Friends and Family Loss Group: every Tuesday, 6:30pm-8:00pm.
• Virtual Parent & Guardian Loss Group: every Wednesday, 6:30pm-8:00pm.
• Virtual Partner Loss Group: every Thursday, 6:30pm-8:00pm.

Click the photo for more information on our groups and stay tuned for future email updates about new and current support groups, their eligibility, and how to register for them. Please email us at info@bereavedfamilies.ca if you have any questions about the above groups.

Please Note:

There will be a pause in programming from August 18th to August 29th. During this time, no support groups will be running.

📅Fall programming (September–December) group topics and dates will be announced later in August. Stay tuned for more details!

If you need immediate emotional support during our pause, please reach out to a local or provincial distress line here👉https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources.

Goodbye Message from Irish Dhindsa, Volunteer Message (Nov 2021 - Jul 2025) 

Oh my, I will miss you all so much!! 

I have had so many wonderful years of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment working here and through that I have been able to meet so many wonderful people. I have learned to see and understand grief from beyond my own perspective and I have witnessed the power of community in healing. 

Even though my days with the Centre for Grief and Healing have come to an end, I want you all to know that the community holds a special place in my heart and in one way or another, we will always be connected. 

Thank you all so much!!

If you are interested in volunteering and would like to learn about the opportunities available, please reach out to Irish (she/her), Volunteer Manager, at volunteering@bereavedfamilies.ca by August 1st. Following this date, please contact Samantha (she/her) at the same email address.

Walk to Remember - 2024

Walk to Remember

In less than 2 months, our community will come together to reflect and honour loved ones. Walk to Remember isn’t just a fundraiser, it’s a day of healing, connection, and support for those navigating grief. Join us for Walk to Remember, put on in partnership with Bereaved Families of Ontario - Toronto, on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at Lakeside Park in Mississauga (2268 Lakeshore Rd W). Walk to Remember event timing is TBA and will be confirmed closer-to, but will likely be around 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST. 

To learn more, register, and/or donate, please visit: www.bereavedfamilies.ca/walktoremember2025

Funds Raised So Far

We’re thrilled to share that Walk to Remember 2025 is already gaining momentum! Thanks to the incredible support of our community, we've raised $1,702.63 as of July 28, putting us at 2.4% of our goal. It's a great start - but we have a long way to go to reach our goal of raising $70,000 to sustain our free grief support services for 2026. 

Now imagine this: If everyone reading this gave just $20, we’d surpass our $70,000 goal — and ensure hundreds of grieving individuals across Halton and Peel can access the free, compassionate support they deserve.

While provincial and national mental health waitlists can stretch for months, our wait times are significantly shorter. That’s something we’re proud of; but as demand continues to grow, we need your help to keep it that way.

Here’s what it costs to sustain that timely support:

• $468 trains a volunteer peer supporter
• $432 provides 12 sessions for a grieving child or youth with a trained staff member
• $35 funds one peer support session with a trained staff member

Every dollar helps us keep up with rising intake numbers and ensure no one is left waiting too long for support. Every donation of $20 or more is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. It’s a meaningful way to give back and receive a little back come tax time.

To learn more, register, and/or donate, please visit: www.bereavedfamilies.ca/walktoremember2025

A. Yates Photography: www.ayatesphotography.com 

Join the Walk to Remember Volunteer Team

We’d love to have you on our Walk to Remember volunteer team! Here are some of the opportunities we have available:

• Water Bottle Station;
• Walk Route Marshall;
• Check-In

...and more!

Visit our volunteer page here to read volunteer role descriptions to find a position that's right for you. You can sign yourself up for a role by clicking the "volunteer now" button on the volunteer page. Alternatively, if you let Kelly know what role you are interested in, she can sign you up. If you have any questions about volunteering at Walk to Remember, please email Fundraising Manager, Kelly Price at fundraising@bereavedfamilies.ca, and volunteering@bereavedfamilies.ca.

Sponsorship Opportunities – Closing Soon!

We’re also looking for community-minded businesses and organizations to sponsor our Walk.

Sponsorship is a meaningful way to support individuals and families navigating grief while gaining visibility within a compassionate and engaged community. We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities and are happy to create a custom package that aligns with your organization’s values and goals.

📅Please note: Sponsorship opportunities for our 2025 Walk to Remember will close on August 15.

Interested in learning more? Contact our Fundraising Manager, Kelly Price (she/her), at fundraising@bereavedfamilies.ca.

2025 Fundraising Updates

Thanks to your generous support, we’ve raised $4,287.39 for the Centre for Grief and Healing between January and June 2025. Every dollar makes a difference, helping us offer free grief support programs to individuals navigating loss. We’re so grateful to our community for making this important work possible.  

That amount raised allows us to train 9 volunteers who can provide one-to-one peer support sessions. Once trained, a volunteer can go on to support many individuals at a much lower cost than staff:

• $160 to support an adult through a full 8-session model
• $232 to support a grieving child or youth through 12 sessions

Each trained volunteer can go on to support many individuals over time, making this one of the most impactful and cost-effective ways to give.

With demand for grief support growing and intake requests increasing, volunteers are a vital part of helping keep our wait times low and services accessible.

Your gift today can support hundreds of future peer support sessions and change countless lives.

Email Kelly Price (she/her), Fundraising Manager, at fundraising@bereavedfamilies.ca if you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Donor Spotlight, and/or if you would like to be added to the distribution list to receive our monthly Donor Impact Reports. These reports provide a monthly overview of the meaningful accomplishments and progress we've made to-date for the current year.

Get to Know Us!

We've recently had some wonderful meetings with other organizations in the Halton and Peel regions, and we're excited about the opportunity to collaborate with them this year.

We are also excited to offer and virtually host a free 30 to 45-minute "Get to Know Us" meeting with organizations and professionals interested in learning more about us and the work we do. If you are from an organization and are interested in inviting us to a virtual meeting, please contact us at: outreach@bereavedfamilies.ca.

What It Really Takes to Offer Free Grief Support

At the Centre for Grief and Healing, we hold a deep belief: no one should ever have to face grief alone, and certainly not because of financial barriers. As the demand for our free grief supports continues to grow, your generosity helps us show up for people when they need it most. We believe in being transparent because every donation, no matter the size, helps someone feel less alone.

What your support makes possible:

• It costs just under $35 to fund one one-to-one support session with a staff member.
• When a trained volunteer or student offers that same session, the cost is just $18.

Every adult we support receives around 8 personalized sessions annually, while children and youth receive 12. With everything running as smoothly as possible, it costs:

• $276.72 to support one adult through 8 staff-led sessions
• $415.08 for 12 sessions with a child or youth

When offered by trained volunteers, those costs are reduced significantly:

• $144 for 8 adult one-to-one sessions
• $216 for 12 child/youth one-to-one sessions

These numbers reflect only the direct support time—excluding the time spent coordinating care, providing intakes, training, programming, scheduling, and ensuring our services are safe, trauma-informed, and inclusive.

The power of volunteers and community

Volunteers are a core part of what makes this support sustainable. It takes $468 to fully train and onboard a new volunteer, and their impact ripples outward through every session they offer.

Each year, we provide an average of 700+ one-to-one sessions, with some years reaching into the thousands. In 2023, 398 new individuals accessed support. In 2024, that number rose to 496. We're here to meet that need, together.

You can make a difference

When you give, you're helping ensure one-to-one grief support remains free, accessible, and rooted in compassion.

Make a difference today: https://www.bereavedfamilies.ca/donate

If you’d like to learn more about how we use donations or how you can get involved, reach out any time:

Julia (she/her), Executive Director – executivedirector@bereavedfamilies.ca

Kelly (she/her), Fundraising Manager – fundraising@bereavedfamilies.ca

We are currently developing a new IDEA-informed training for all Centre for Grief team members.

This training will explore how grief is shaped by systemic inequities and how we can offer more inclusive, equitable, and accessible grief support. It will be tailored specifically to the realities of grief and loss, and grounded in anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive practices.

In alignment with our commitment to accessibility, we are also replacing our current chairs used in in-person groups with new seating that better supports a wider range of bodies, mobility needs, and comfort levels.

Community Spotlight: Feedback from Our July GriefTalks

We’re so grateful to share this heartfelt feedback about Taylor, one of our dedicated student speakers:

"Taylor is a sweet, kind, and passionate speaker. I’m truly sorry for the losses she has experienced. Her genuine desire to help others and share practical tools for navigating grief really shines through. She is not only a great speaker but also a deeply compassionate person."

Thank you, Taylor, for bringing your warmth and wisdom to our community.

Student Reflections: What Our Community Is Saying

We’ve received such meaningful feedback about our student team this summer. Community members shared how both Lyndsay and Taylor created deeply supportive, compassionate spaces to talk about grief — free of judgment and full of empathy.

One participant shared how Lyndsay helped them feel seen in their ongoing grief, reassuring them that there is no timeline for mourning and that their feelings are valid. Another expressed how Taylor made them feel safe and understood, offering both practical tools and a sense of connection through shared experience.

We’re incredibly proud of the care, wisdom, and authenticity our students bring to this work.

Student Voices

Alex shares:

Over the course of my time with the Centre for Grief and Healing, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the community and truly give back in ways that feel purposeful and rewarding. One highlight has been supporting the Walk to Remember, an initiative that holds deep emotional significance for many. Being part of that event allowed me to witness firsthand the power of community connection and the importance of holding space for grief, remembrance, and healing.

My Experience So Far

My experience with this organization has been incredibly positive. The team here has been nothing but welcoming and supportive, and that warmth created an environment where I felt comfortable to grow both personally and professionally. I’ve learned so much about myself, about others, and about the importance of showing up with compassion and integrity in this field.

Key Learnings and takeaways

Throughout this journey, I’ve seen major growth in several areas. My punctuality, professionalism, and confidence have all improved significantly. More importantly, I’ve gained hands-on experience working with participants in real-life settings, which has taught me the value of empathy, patience, and active listening. These are not just skills, they’re life tools that I’ll carry with me into every future role.

I’ve also learned how to support people dealing with grief, trauma, and other complex life challenges, all while practicing healthy boundaries and self-care. These are essential skills in the peer support and community services field.

Resources

Along the way, I’ve discovered and shared resources that promote emotional wellness, peer support strategies, and grief support tools. Having access to these resources has made me a more informed and prepared support worker. My time at the Centre for Grief and Healing has even inspired me to begin planning my own fundraiser for grieving families which is something I feel incredibly passionate about. The encouragement and guidance I’ve received from the community here gave me the confidence to pursue this on my own.

Overall, this experience has helped shape who I am as a future professional in this field. It’s given me a solid foundation of knowledge, practical experience, and most importantly, a strong passion to support others with empathy and respect. I’m proud of the growth I’ve experienced so far and excited for what my future holds.

Click here to see what our current funders are supporting.

Comments, concerns, feedback, and compliments can always be forwarded to Victoria (she/her) at programs@bereavedfamilies.ca. Anonymous feedback can be submitted to us here: www.bereavedfamilies.ca/contactus.

Partnership opportunities, event support inquiries, and donation inquiries can be forwarded to Kelly (she/her) and Julia (she/her) at fundraising@bereavedfamilies.ca and executivedirector@bereavedfamilies.ca.

Looking to volunteer? Please contact Irish and Samantha (she/her) at volunteering@bereavedfamilies.ca with your interest.

All other inquiries (intakes, group registrations, getting set up with us) can be forwarded to info@bereavedfamilies.ca.

Our next Hope Report will be sent in October 2025. Our Care Corner: Wellness Newsletter will be sent in September.