Welcome to Bereaved Families - Cornwall & Area : Mission & History

MISSION STATEMENT

We are Bereaved Families of Cornwall & Area
"We are the bereaved helping the bereaved learn to live with loss".
we create programs, services and resources to support bereaved families.
Our focus is on Bereavement Services for Adults, Children/Youth and
Survivors of Suicide.

"We can help the healing begin."

Bereaved Families of Ontario was founded by four bereaved mothers in Toronto in the year 1978. Initially nurtured by the Sick Children's Hospital of Toronto, its particular focus is to provide support for families who have lost a child to death. The agency now has affiliates in seventeen and satellites in three municipalities across the province.

Bereaved Families of Ontario (BFO) - Cornwall and Area is an affiliate of Bereaved Families of Ontario and has been in operation since November 1985. It has become the major local source for bereavement support, resources and information in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and remains the only self-help agency that addresses and offers support free of charge to this community.

Tailored to individual community needs, BFO - Cornwall & Area has extended bereavement support beyond the loss of a child, spouse/partner, parents, siblings, survivors of suicide and recently, bereavement services for children/youth.

BFO - Cornwall and Area is a registered charitable organization whose programs are facilitated by individuals who have participated in a training program assigned and monitored by the Bereaved Families of Ontario Quality Assurance Program.

Each year, BFO - Cornwall and Area helps hundreds of families struggling through the grieving process. They further assist the bereaved by offering recognition of their loss in the community by organizing the "Candlelight Service" in November and the "Memory Tree" in December.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Unique in the Province, BFO - Cornwall and Area provides a Bereavement Centre which is open weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Located at 216 Montreal Road in Cornwall, no appointment is necessary for the bereaved to visit the Centre.

In addition to the bereavement Centre, BFO - Cornwall and Area offers the following Programs and Services to help individuals cope with the loss of a loved one.

PROGRAMS

SERVICES

Telephone Help Line
One on One Discussion
Telephone Support
Bereavement Packages
Library
Newsletter
Public Education/Training

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are the heart of this organization and our greatest asset. Without their dedication and many hours of support to the bereaved of our community, the programs and services we offer would not be possible. Each volunteer at BFO - Cornwall and Area is a bereaved themselves and has participated in a recognized training program from our Provincial Quality Assurance programs.

BFO - Cornwall and Area is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors whose focus is on ensuring that our organization follows the mission established by the Board and remains cognisant of the needs of our community.

FUNDING

BFO - Cornwall and Area receives funding from the United Way of Cornwall & District. The balance of funds required is raised through the generosity of the community by local fundraising efforts, such as the Annual Gala Dinner.

Click Here to send a donation to Bereaved Families of Ontario