2022 Gala Fund Recipients
Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation: Perinatal Bereavement Program
The Perinatal Bereavement Program offers outpatient support and counselling for all losses at any gestational age. The Early Pregnancy Assessment Program specifically supports all losses under 20 weeks, while the bereavement program also provides inpatient support for losses after 20 weeks or following birth.
The program coordinates the hospital burial program for Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health, as well as the annual May Memorial. It’s also responsible for collecting and distributing donations of memory items to grieving parents, such as teddy bears, blankets, and print resources.
BriarPatch Centre for Grieving Families: H.E.A.R.T.S. (Helping Empty Arms Recover Through Sharing)
The BriarPatch Family Life Education Centre was established in 1996 and is a Registered Canadian Charity and a Non-Profit Society under the Alberta Societies Act.
BriarPatch’s H.E.A.R.T.S. program supports those who are touched by the loss of a baby during pregnancy or after birth. This grief program includes group settings, individual and family counselling, sibling support, a lending library, the Baby Steps Walk to Remember, and an annual Candle Light Memorial Service.
H.E.A.R.T.S. and the BriarPatch are involved in many perinatal loss activities, including the Annual May Memorial and the Annual Bridge Illumination for International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Their goal is to create awareness and increase accessibility to individual and family programs.
Here’s how your support will help.
Funding for the BriarPatch, including H.E.A.R.T.S., comes from many sources, including preschool fees from the Community Preschool Program, donations from families and community members, grants from Municipal and Provincial Governments, and events, sale of items, and donations in kind.
We are seeking funding for two part-time paid positions that will help streamline our current programming, strengthen our incredible volunteer team, and increase our capacity.
We will also add a new event for healing: an annual weekend retreat for grieving baby loss mothers to be away from the city, in nature, to begin the process of connecting with others who understand and to provide a unique opportunity for their exploration of grief. Funding would allow these individuals to attend at a low (or no) cost.
We thank you for your consideration in supporting the Tiny Footprints event, with the potential for supporting initiatives that are current gaps in the baby loss community.
Cheryl Salter-Roberts, Founder
BriarPatch Family Life Education Centre