What services does your organization provide?
Self-Help Groups:Open and closed groups are offered for bereaved mothers, couples, fathers, or granparents to support parents through infant loss, loss of a child or loss of a grandchild. A closed group is offered for widows/widowers who are raising children in the home. We also offer an education program for anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one and would like to better understand their experience with grief and death.
Preschool Group - Healing Little Hearts: This program is offered to children between the ages of 3-6 who have experienced the death of a loved one and it is facilitated by a professional in the field of children and grief. An educational group is provided for the caregivers at the same time to educate them about how grief affects children and to suggest coping strategies for themselves and their children.
One-on-One Support: Trained, bereaved volunteers are available to meet with individuals or families to support them through their grief.
Telephone Support: Information, support and referral services are available during office hours, and may be arranged at other times.
Newsletters: Published quarterly, our newsletter includes information about the activities of the affiliates, inspirational and informational submissions from bereaved members and the caring community, acknowledgement of volunteer and financial support, news about educational opportunities of interest to members and recognition of the anniversary dates of loved ones.
Website Support: We have a website for teens looking for information on grief, death and suicide to educate and help them make sense of tragic events in their life.
Library: A variety of resources are available to loan for bereaved individuals, professionals, students and other members of the public.
Speaker's Bureau: Bereaved volunteers are available to speak to community groups on a variety of topics including education on grief.
Workshops: Staff and volunteers offer general information, or specifically developed presentations, to professionals who may be interested or who work in the field of bereavement and to community members who may find topics of interest.
Volunteer Facilitator Training: Offered annually, this course is required for all members interested in becoming group or one-on-one facilitators.
Tree of Bright Stars: A non-religious service and personalized star hanging ceremony held at the end of November. It is offered to any member of the community to memorialize a loved one at an often difficult time of year.
Walk to Remember: An annual walk allows the bereaved, along with their family and friends, an opportunity to socialize and support one another while obtaining pledges in memory of their deceased loved ones.
Butterfly Release: An annual service and butterfly release held in September for BFO members and the general public in honour of their deceased loved ones. Environmental benefits of butterflies are also communicated as part of the event to educate participants about the importance of these insects to Ontario's ecological system.
Annual Golf Tournament and Curling Bonspiel: Fundraisers that provide social support to members, and encourage awareness among community participants while raising necessary funding for BFO-Midwest Region.
Annual Conference: An educational conference for professionals and interested parties within the community, lead by experts in the field of bereavement. | 
