BEREAVED FAMILIES OF ONTARIO - TORONTO
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Mission Statement
Bereaved Families of Ontario-Toronto Bereaved helping the bereaved learn to live with grief. We help the healing begin. We are a community of people who value: Compassion: Relating to one another with caring, empathy, openness and acceptance. Understanding: Respecting that while there are common threads that weave themselves among the bereaved, every person learns to live with grief in their own way. Diversity: Celebrating & embracing the richness of unique and diverse life experiences. Our work is framed within equity and inclusion. Mutual Support: Providing mirrors of hope for one another in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment. No one can understand the bereaved like another bereaved person. Integrity: Creating a safe and reliable space in which to grieve, through honesty and transparency. Our organization is built on a foundation of mutual trust. Relationships: Building and sustaining meaningful and mutually beneficial connections with members, volunteers, donors and com
About This Cause
Bereaved Families of Ontario-Toronto, (BFO-Toronto) was founded in 1978 by four mothers who met at Sick Kids Hospital of Toronto as they coped with the trauma of the death of their children. They support they found in and from each other was invaluable. They felt strongly that all grieving parents needed such support so they created an organization to provide emotional support to parents who had experienced the trauma that comes with the death of a child(ren). The mandate was soon expanded to include supporting children, adolescents and young adults who had lost a parent or sibling. Over the years, we have expanded our grief support services to include varied losses. Currently we offer the following support programs: We currently offer the following programs: 8 Week Closed Groups: Mutual Support Bereavement Groups at BFO-Toronto are small, closed-membership groups of 8-12 people who have experienced like-losses and meet to explore their grief in a confidential and supportive setting. The groups are facilitated by two peer, bereaved volunteers who are supported by volunteer professionals. Generally groups meet once a week, in 2-hour sessions. These groups are for: • Parents who have lost a young or adult child; • Children ages 5-8 yrs. and 9-12 yrs. old who have experienced the death of a parent/caregiver or sibling; • Young adults (18-30) who have experienced the death of a parent/caregiver or sibling • Adults ages 55+ who have experienced the death of a spouse/partner. Open Group (Drop in) Programs Open discussion format, no set topics. As attendance is flexible, participants may attend as many sessions as they find beneficial. • Parents who have lost a baby under the age of two, an infant at birth or during gestation. • Open Group Programs at BFO are for any adult, over 30 years of age who has experienced the death of a parent, sibling, chosen family member or the death of a spouse or partner. The sessions are facilitated by BFO-Toronto peer volunteers who have experienced similar losses. • Youth 13-17 years of age who have experienced the death of a parent/caregiver, sibling or close friend BFO-Toronto is unique in two ways We are the only organization whose sole mandate is to support bereaved individuals who need support in dealing with their grief. Secondly, we are the only organization whose service framework is a partnership between clinical professionals and volunteer grief facilitators, within a peer support model. We are the only organization in our community whose sole mandate it is to provide bereavement support to anyone grieving the death of a loved one. All of our services are offered free-of-charge. We are committed to the ideals of our Founding mothers and continue to provide grief support to anyone who needs help in living the "new normal". All of our staff and volunteers have a unique understanding of the needs of the (newly) bereaved because we too know firsthand the devastation of losing a loved one.