Welcome to the BC Bereavement Helpline
The BC Bereavement Helpline (BCBH) is here for you. We are a non-profit, free, and confidential service that connects the public to grief support services within the province of BC. Whether you are looking for bereavement support groups, community events, information on BC Bereavement Day, information on how to donate or to volunteer with us you will find it here. Please call the BC Bereavement Helpline and speak with one of our caring volunteers for information on our bereavement support groups, agencies, and peer-based support.
Your call is free, confidential, and anonymous. We will help you find the most appropriate support for your specific type of loss.
April 20th, 2018 30th Anniversary “Jam Session” Fun(d)raiser!
PUB NIGHT & FUN(D)RAISER!
Bring your friends, fun and funds to BC Bereavement Helpline’s Anniversary Jam Session celebration!
- Classic rock band “Short Notice”
- Gen Katagiri – piano & vocals
- Sam Ramadan – comic story teller
- Games
- Pizza
- Beer/Wine
Tickets are $25 and include two slices of beer and all entertainment and snacks. Additional $4 drink tickets for beer or wine!
Where: Valley View Funeral Home (14644 72 Ave, Surrey BC)
When: Friday, June 22
Time: 7:00pm start – late finish!
Get Tickets: at Valley View Funeral Home 604-596-8866, or call BCBH at 604-738-9950 or email us at contact@bcbh.ca.
April 20th, 2018 Children’s Grief Support Facilitator Training – June 15 & 16, 2018
The BC Bereavement Helpline, in partnership with the Abbotsford Hospice Society, is hosting a two-day training session for individuals and professionals who wish to be trained to run an 8-week children’s grief group. This is sure to be a fun and interactive workshop and will hopefully provide you with some ideas and tools for you to use when helping support children dealing with grief and loss.
Date: June 15th and 16th, 2018
Location: Abbotsford Hospice Society (pay parking nearby)
Cost: $250 per person ($200 early bird rate expires on May 15th)
If you would like to register, please fill out the Children’s Grief Group Reg Form and email to contact@bcbh.ca. Or, call us with any questions at 604-738-9950.
Full advanced payment will reserve your spot, and can be made via cheque, e-transfer (contact@bcbh.ca), or through PayPal (transaction fees of $6.20 for the early bird rate and $7.45 for the regular rate will apply).
April 19th, 2018 2018 Grief Education Workshop (GEW/Professional Development)
This workshop is designed for those who want to develop a better understanding of how to help people who are dealing with loss and grief. It may be of special benefit to professionals who work in healthcare, financial services, insurance, law, HR/EAP and college/university counselling departments, but anyone with an interest in this area/topic is welcome.
Location: Heron Room, 3rd floor of historic Stanley Park Dining Pavilion, Vancouver BC
Date: September 8, 22, 29 (3 non-consecutive Saturdays)
Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Cost:
Regular rate: $479.00 – Early bird rate of $419 if paid by August 1st, 2018
Student rate or Bring a Friend Rate: $419.00 per person
Registration cut-off date: August 24, 2018
Registration process: Registration required. Please email: lmgr@lmgr.ca
April 19th, 2018 LMGRS Special Event on June 26, 2018
We invite you to attend our Annual Event / AGM which will present: The Vancouver Threshold Choir
The Threshold Choir is a group of women who bring comfort and compassion through song to those at the thresholds of living and dying. In groups of two to four they sing gentle songs from a variety of traditions to soothe, comfort and uplift. They sing, when invited, in private homes, hospices, care facilities and hospitals.
This choir, which began in 2009, is associated with an international organization of Threshold Choirs. For more information please visit: thresholdchoir.org
Location: St. Mary’s Kerrisdale Anglican Church, Main Lounge
West 37th between Larch and Balsam, Vancouver, BC
Date: Tuesday, June 26th, 2018
Time: 6:00 – 7:30pm (Networking before and LMGRS AGM to follow Choir)
Cost: Free
Registration process: Email by June 16th, 2018 lmgr@lmgr.ca
April 19th, 2018 Being With Grief: Education Evenings
If you have recently experienced the death of a loved one, we invite you to an education session to learn and share.
You may find it helpful if you have been wondering ….
“Is this normal? Am I normal?’
‘What are common grief responses’?
‘How do I know if I need additional help?
Where can I get it if I do?’
Dates: May 10, July 25 and October 24
Time: 6:00PM – 8:30PM
Pre-registration required
To register or for more information on the session, please contact Nancy Chan Palliative Ambulatory Clinic at 604-659-1160 or nancychanclinic@vch.ca
These one-time sessions are facilitated in collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Home Hospice Team and Providence Health Palliative Care Unit
April 13th, 2018 Bereavement Day – May 27th – Honour Your Loved One
Please join us for a service of remembrance open to anyone commemorating the loss of a loved one. Ceremony includes a special service , the planting of heart-shaped memory seeds in a special honorary garden and the releasing of doves in the name of your loved one.
The service and seeds are free and is welcome to anyone who wishes to attend.
We request a $30 donation to reserve a dove. Reservations are due May 18.
Date: Sunday, May 27th 2018
Where: Mountain View Cemetery at 5455 Fraser St.
Time: Starts at 1:00pm, please arrive 15 minutes early for assembling and final payments.
For more information, to reserve a dove and to register for this event, please email contact@bcbh.ca, or call us at 604-738-9950.
November 25th, 2017 2017 Sisters in Strength Wellness Retreat
The BCBH/BCVOH 2017 Sisters in Strength Retreat was held over the weekend of Friday, October 13 – Sunday, October 15, 2017 at the Sts‘ailes Lhawathet Lalem retreat centre in Agassiz, B.C. for Indigenous women who are family members to one of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
(Photo credit Mikhail Crispin)
Fifteen First Nations women participants and ten supporters and facilitators joined together for one weekend of healing and strength building.
Testimonials from participants included:
“Being in a grassroots setting with ladies who also understand grief and loss, it brings forth the healing along with strength.”
“[The retreat] Helped me gain my balance once again.”
“[I feel] More connected with my heritage.”
BCBH would like to extend its profound gratitude to our partners for their invaluable support. We could not have done it without you.
Please see our full report here: BCBH 2017 Sisters in Strength Wellness Retreat Summary – Final V2
BCBH acknowledges the receipt of civil forfeiture funding from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Community Safety and Crime Prevention Branch.
June 2nd, 2017 PODCAST SERIES “VOICES OF RESILIENCE”
On Monday, May 29th BC Bereavement Helpline, the parent organization of BC Victims of Homicide, launched the original 5-part podcast series, “Voices of Resilience,” in support of National Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, May 28 – June 3, 2017.
Each day that week, a new story of resilience in the face of traumatic crime was posted on this page. All podcasts are available on our videos page.
May 19th, 2017 2016-2017 BCBH Annual Report
Please click here: BCBH AR-2016-17 Final