On #GivingTuesday, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Association (CHPCA) wants Canadians to know that grief is a shared journey that fosters compassion and encourages them to cope with their grief by supporting each other through living and grieving. We might be physically distant, but we are together in grief.

As COVID-19 continues to cause concern for our everyday welfare, the future has never felt so unpredictable. These are challenging times for everyone, as we deal with a global pandemic. While there’s a lot of uncertainty, we know that we need to adapt quickly to our changing reality. Now, more than ever, Canadians need access to hospice palliative care and support for caregivers. CHPCA is participating in #GivingTuesday which is a global movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after the busy retail Black Friday that many charities and non-profits now consider the beginning of the giving season. Our campaign is executed digitally over social media on our website, FaceBook, and Twitter. ‏

For our #GivingTuesday 2020 campaign, our theme is “Saying Goodbye”. Because of so many restrictions on visitation, travel and gathering size, many people have not been able to say goodbye to their loved ones as they passed away. The CHPCA is offering Canadians the opportunity to Say Goodbye to a loved one that has passed during the pandemic by adding their loved one’s name to our Saying Goodbye Memorial Wall.

An estimated 300,000 Canadians will die in 2020, and for every one person who has died there are, on average, 5 or more loved ones who live on. They eventually must go on with their daily routines but may still be experiencing grief. With our Saying Goodbye campaign, we hope to acknowledge the grief that many Canadians are experiencing and hopefully help them not feel so alone in their grief.

This year’s #GivingTuesday call to action includes the following:

1. Sign your loved ones name on our Saying Goodbye Memorial Wall
2. Watch the Saying Goodbye Concert
3. Sign the Caregivers Declaration