Recently the S2S Hospice Society was one of three groups asked to make a presentation to the 100 Women Who Care Whistler group and was chosen to be the recipient of a grant of $12,000!

The funds that we will receive from the 100 Women Who Care Whistler Group will support our 1 on 1 counselling program so that we can meet the increasing needs of the Sea to Sky Community members who are struggling with a life limiting diagnosis, caregiving for a loved one or grieving the death of a loved one. Over the past 2 years and particularly since Covid we have noticed an increase in people seeking more one on one counselling support. We have also seen that former resources such as volunteers, groups, peer connections and other sources of support are less available now. As well people are feeling the stress of the pandemic particularly those who are trying to manage the grief they are experiencing due to end of their own life or someone they love. The hospice society has always offered free one on one limited counselling sessions, and over the years we have seen the need for this support increase. Some of the reasons are due to the changing face of those facing end of life, no longer only the elderly, we now we see more people at a younger age in our programs, we are more often approached by surviving parents for assistance in speaking to their children about death and grief, we see COVID significantly impacting caregivers which causes them to reach out for support more frequently and grievers are struggling due to the lack of formal end of life acknowledgements and community support.

These funds will help us continue to reach out to community members throughout the Sea to Sky allowing us to offer one on one counselling support to more people in need. So far this year the Sea to Sky Hospice Society has personally reached out to over 77 clients and with these additional grant funds we will see those numbers increase by potentially 125+ counselling sessions per year. These funds will enable community residents to been seen by a Registered Clinical Counsellor (offering supported fees) as they face their own end of life or the death of a loved one.

Thank you for believing in the importance of the work we do in our Sea to Sky Community, 100 Women Who Care Whistler!