Memorial Donations
Brady’s memorial golf tournament’s 3-year donation total
Y’all have heard myself and many of the podcast guests share their experience with philanthropy and how much that can assist with healing your heart. My happy place and where I feel the most fulfilled is in service. And, one of the ways we can all serve is by donating our time, money and / or expertise to a cause that speaks to us.
I think a donation is the best idea for colleague gifts. You can avoid handing out another generic mug or candle and put that money toward something bigger. Grab the total you would spend on a large group and make a donation in their name(s). Or, volunteer with your local shelter or crises centre and serve dinner to those in need. Anything you do to provide for someone else is incredibly fulfilling and can be a very impactful way to not only feel better yourself but also to find a way to memorialize someone you may be grieving.
That said, I wanted to share some of my favourite places to link arms with to heal my own heart and memorialize my little people that are no longer here earth side with us.
McMaster Children’s Hospital - This should be NO surprise. Neil and I have done several memorial golf tournaments, Christmas toy drop offs and single monetary donations to McMaster. This is where Brady was treated and ultimately lost, where we have been guided by our amazing Geneticist and where Kyla had several stays as a baby for a reflux issue that would flare up. Mac is great because, like many Children’s hospitals, there are SO many options to serve. Anything from hosting your own event to just adding a couple of dollars onto your purchase at the LCBO. I did a podcast episode with Sherri Bochinni where we discuss all the ways in which you can help and what they are in need of. Visit Sherri’s show notes page and listen to that episode HERE.
Sick Kids - Another pediatric centre that provides specialized care for the littlest of people. Sick Kids, like Mac have many different donation options but, my favourite, and one that Neil and I do every Christmas is their Get Better Gifts campaign, where you can purchase specific items or services.
Good Shephard - Good Shephard was new to me until a few years ago when my friends and I (pre-covid) were able to serve Christmas dinner to a huge ballroom full of people in need. Some were living in shelters, some were in treatment of some kind and this was their opportunity to have a dinner with their kids, the list goes on and on but, it was truly a magical experience for us and I hope, for those families who got to enjoy their dinner. It’s a small task but, it did help put a lot of things in perspective and allowed us to really feel connected to each other as we shared that experience and truly just be grateful for all that God has given each of us.
Meal Train - When you were hurting or when your loved one was struggling with illness or injury, wasn’t it so helpful when someone dropped off food and you didn’t have to worry about dinner? That is one of the most frequent things that guests on the podcast say. The things that make the logistics in your life easier, that’s what’s needed. So, Meal Trains allow you to organize meal drop offs to someone in need on a calendar for as long as you want. Meal Trains are great because anyone can join a meal train and drop off. We’ve participated in a couple of friends and even some for people we have never met but, they were local, we had food and they needed help. It’s simple.
Childhood Cancer Canada - Enough said. If you have seen or experienced a child going through this then you know why it’s on this list. If you don’t live in Canada, look for the affiliate where you live. So far, our family has been “lucky” in this area but, one of my dear friends lost her sweet daughter to this awful disease and that’s enough for me.
You do it for the one’s you love, you do it for you and you do it so that no else has to experience what you have. Grief IS a human experience and there is no way to avoid it but, we can do our part to support whatever network you feel called to so that we can improve the life we have while we have it. To me, kids suffering is where my heart is and where my money goes. If that isn’t your experience and your heart is with the Heart and Stroke foundation or the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, then go there. Even when we feel like we don’t have enough, someone always has less and we can always try to help in whatever way we are able to. And, while you heal your heart, your donation (of time, money or expertise) may heal someone else.
