Bereaved Families of Ontario-Cornwall

One of our Bereaved Families traditions lives on due to the generous spirit of the Knox-St.Paul's Faith Community. They wish to continue to host the Candlelight Remembrance Service that we have held at their location for the last 10 years. Please join us to remember and pay tribute to your loved ones who will be missed this Holiday Season.

On Wednesday, May 8th, Bereaved Families of Ontario-Cornwall held its final Annual General Meeting. The office will close permanently on May 31st. Guests in attendance were saddened about the lack of financial support being the reason for the closure of our office, but we all focused on Bereaved Families’ worthy contribution to members of the community for the last 33 years. A countless number of people have received Grief Support and have transformed their life into a lif...e still worth living, even after the loss of their loved one. They have found compassion, empathy and hope from our Programs and Services. We offered special recognition to the Ghost Walk For Charity for their generous support for two consecutive years. In 2018, they were the only source of significant revenue for our agency. Their total contribution for 2017 & 2018 provided the funding to offer 11 Closed Adult Support Groups. These Groups have transformed many lives in our area. We expressed gratitude and appreciation to staff, facilitators, volunteers and Board members who gave their heart to this agency over the years. To all our clients who trusted us, staff and facilitators, with their deepest sorrows at the worst time of their life, we want you to know that our lives have also been enriched in meeting you and sharing your grief journey. May your cherished memories of your loved one bring you peace and comfort!

If you are looking for a way to honor a deceased loved one this Easter, these activities are a perfect opportunity to do so, as a family. Organised by students from the Social Service Worker program at Saint Lawrence College, this day will raise funds in support of Bereaved Families. We are truly grateful to the organizers of this wonderful event. May it be a fun and memorable day!

During this, National Volunteer Week 2019, we wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to all the volunteer Facilitators at Bereaved Families who have chosen to "be in the moment" with the clients, to open their hearts and truly listen to the pain being expressed. It takes very special people to resist the urge to "fix" those in their presence. Our clients appreciate this unique trait in our Facilitators and express it clearly in their testimonials. "THE HEART OF A VOL...UNTEER IS NOT MEASURED IN SIZE, BUT BY THE DEPTH OF THE COMMITMENT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS". We also extend our sincere thanks to all volunteers who work "behind the scene". It is only with their support, dedication and countless volunteer hours that our mission can become a reality. "We are the bereaved helping the bereaved learn to live with grief".

As a follow-up to the announcement of our closing date (May 31st), we wish to inform our clients and potential new clients that all Closed Support Groups that were scheduled for our spring session will continue as planned. LOSS OF A PARENT: Ongoing LOSS OF A CHILD: Begins Monday, April 29th LOSS OF A SPOUSE: Begins Tuesday, May 7th ... Please check our website (http://bfocornwall.ca) for details. We will also continue to offer all other services until the very last day of operation. As we meet with clients, we will suggest different venues where they might continue to obtain some alternate support. We thank all clients who have trusted us to accompany them on their grief journey.

BEREAVED FAMILIES OF ONTARIO-CORNWALL BIDS ITS FINAL FAREWELL TO THE AREA. It is with heavy hearts that the members of the present Board of Directors announce that, unless some of our grant applications are accepted or some major sources of funding are found in the immediate future, Bereavement Programs & Services offered at our office for 33 years will be ending on May 31st, 2019. Although Bereaved Families of Ontario is a Provincial organization, each of its 11 offices is... operated independently and receives NO GOVERNMENT FUNDING. Each location survives on grants, fundraisers and generous donations from their own community. Since the Cornwall office’s most significant and reliable source of funding withdrew its support in the spring of 2015, valiant efforts have been made by many volunteers to continue operation in Cornwall. For a time, we received positive responses from funders, sponsors, fundraisers and donors. However, with so many agencies in our area experiencing loss of funding and making every effort to recover through various fundraisers, all supporters are faced with making difficult choices. Consequently, we now find ourselves with very little revenue and cannot continue operating much longer. We have reached out to other prominent agencies in our community to propose a partnership so that Bereaved Families could continue to offer some services, in a different format and location. As of this date, our efforts have not been successful. However, until closing date, we will continue our search for new venues to serve the bereaved of our community. We wish to express our gratitude to all corporations, businesses and individuals who have supported us and our mission for so many years. We are proud of our 33 years of bereavement services to Cornwall and area residents. And we thank the numerous clients who have trusted us to support them on their grief journey.

If you are interested in attending this group, please call us at 613-936-1455 before 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 13th to register.