Spring 2023 Grant Results

Our team at the CGFC is thrilled to announce the Spring 2023 Grant Recipients.

During this application cycle, we received over 23 applications from various regions of Canada. This cycle further emphasized the pressing need for resources catering to grieving children in our country.

We are pleased to extend our funding to three exceptional projects across Canada.

We extend our congratulations to Hospice Huntsville, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, and the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba for their successful projects!

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all our generous donors for their invaluable financial support towards these initiatives. It is through your generosity that these programs are made accessible to countless grieving children in Canada.

Supporting the Children's Hospital Library Programs: Enhancing our Grief Packages

Hospitals can be incredibly overwhelming and life-altering environments for children and their families. Recognizing this, the Children’s Hospital of Manitoba has implemented a remarkable hospital library program. This program offers families and children access to books, pamphlets, and CDs containing up-to-date and accurate child health information.

In line with their commitment to providing comprehensive support, the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has set out to expand their existing Children’s Hospital Grief Package. This expansion will encompass the areas of oncology and the emergency department. These packages are distributed to families following the loss of a child, regardless of age. They contain vital resources such as contact information for local funeral and burial services, suggestions for creating legacies, a list of community support resources, as well as books on grief. All of these resources are intended for families to keep. The foundation aims to procure new books and bereavement items to enhance these packages.

The Butterfly Project

Hospice Huntsville has partnered with up to three local libraries to organize events in November to raise awareness for National Grief and Bereavement Day and Children’s Grief Awareness Day.

During these events, families and children will have the opportunity to engage in various creative activities aimed at honouring their loved ones. Library sessions will also be conducted, providing access to children’s grief books that can be borrowed. Additionally, local support resources will be made available to attendees, facilitating awareness and access to services within the Huntsville area.

The primary objective of these events is to foster community awareness regarding National Grief and Bereavement Days while promoting knowledge of local support networks and services.

Improvement of Counselling and Bereavement Tools

Canuck Place Counselling and Bereavement is dedicated to offering various forms of counseling and bereavement support to children enrolled in their program, as well as their families.

Recognizing the importance of providing a comfortable and expressive environment, Canuck Place aims to expand their existing range of bereavement tools. Through the use of music, art, and play therapy, children can better comprehend and express their emotions. The project’s goal is to upgrade and diversify these tools, which will include a play hospital, a doctor’s costume, sand therapy tools, music therapy equipment, bereavement books, and other related items. These resources will be directly utilized by children during counselling and therapy sessions, assisting them in processing experiences such as coping with a life-limiting illness, being a sibling of a child enrolled in the program, or navigating the grieving process.