NEWS RELEASE
NIGHTINGALE CENTRE
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The Nightingale Centre for Grieving Children, Youth, and Families is pleased to announce it will receive one-time funding of $99,971.20 to support its project, Helping Families Through Grief — Nest, Nurture, Fly, Sing under the Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF). The funding will be used to support The Nightingale Centre in developing dedicated resources to strengthen its foundation, build infrastructure and grow their programs and services to meet the evolving needs of grieving families in Guelph-Wellington.
The Community Services Recovery Fund is a one-time $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support community service organizations, including charities, nonprofits and Indigenous governing bodies, as they adapt and modernize their organizations for pandemic recovery.
“I am continually impressed by the passion, dedication, and creativity of community service organizations, like the Nightingale Centre for Grieving Children, Youth, and Families. And I am equally proud the Government of Canada has supported their important work through the Community Services Recovery Fund. By investing in organizations like the Nightingale Centre, and projects like Helping Families Through Grief, we can help to create a more just and equitable society, where everyone has opportunities to succeed. I look forward to seeing the positive impact of this investment in Guelph and Wellington County over the years to come,” said Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
“We are immensely grateful to be a recipient of the CSRF funding. The pandemic changed how we live. It affected people, families and communities in ways we never expected and brought illness, grief and death into many lives and conversations,” said Jodi Pereira, Executive Director, The Nightingale Centre. “As we all focus on recovery, The Nightingale Centre will use this funding to help us implement strategic operational systems, train and upskill our people resources, and grow our programs and services to meet the need and demand within our community — with a continued commitment to ensure that no family grieves alone.”
The death of a parent or sibling has been found to be one of the most stressful life events a child or youth can experience. Within Guelph and Wellington County, there has long been a need for specialized grief and bereavement support services for children and youth, especially with a suicide rate 2.5 times higher than the provincial average. Since The Nightingale Centre’s inception in 2019, more than 300 families in Guelph-Wellington and beyond have been supported through dedicated grief programs, family consultation, events, education and training.
The intake of the CSRF will support The Nightingale Centre in:
- Establishing foundational documentation to inform framework, structure and support
- Developing training programs to support capacity building and knowledge transfer
- Introducing pre/post quantitative measures that demonstrate the value of connection, community and continuing bonds in grief work
- Creating a Youth Ambassador Program
- Developing a Similar Experience & Match Program
- Continuing to create awareness through partnerships, networking, education and outreach
“The pandemic has caused an even heavier burden on our youth, and when children suffer trauma early in life, they are at a much higher risk of experiencing mental health implications in adulthood. This investment will help us build capacity so we can better provide our community with the support they need to grow in their grief, building bright and healthy futures after the death of a loved one” said Pereira.
For more information, including a list of funded projects, visit the National Funders’ Community Services Recovery Fund website.
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