Hey, remember that gift you made? Here’s what you’re helping make possible recently.
Let’s take a minute to talk about something that doesn’t get said often enough: thank you.
If you’ve made a donation to St. Joseph’s Hospice of London, attended a fundraiser, joined us for a community event or simply shared one of our posts, you’ve helped make this work possible. And we wanted to give you a little update on what’s been happening here lately.
Because when you give to Hospice, you’re doing more than supporting an organization. You’re helping create moments that matter to people and families during some of life’s hardest days.
Sometimes, the impact looks like one last Thanksgiving together.
This October, we welcomed our residents and their families at Hospice to a Thanksgiving lunch.
There’s something special about sitting down to a traditional holiday meal, surrounded by familiar faces and the people you love. For some families, this may have been their last Thanksgiving together. Being able to share that meal, make memories and simply enjoy one another’s company is something that matters.
Your support helps make these moments possible. It helps us create a home where families can spend meaningful time together, celebrate special occasions and focus on what matters most, rather than worrying about the details.
You can’t put a dollar value on one last holiday meal together. But you can help make sure it happens.
When grief brings people together.
We’ve seen so many memorial gifts come through our doors lately. Every one is a reminder that the love we have for someone doesn’t end when they die. Often, people choose to honour that love by helping another family receive the care and support they need.
We saw that same spirit at Hike for Hospice this October. Families, friends and community members came together to walk, remember loved ones and raise money for Hospice. Some came to honour someone they miss. Others came to support a friend or family member. All of them helped make a difference.
It’s a beautiful thing to see our community turn remembrance into something that helps others.
Your generosity helps ensure that families have somewhere to turn, whether they’re preparing to say goodbye or learning how to live with a loss.
New programs, familiar faces and a place to belong.
Grief can be lonely. Sometimes, people need a place to talk about the person they’ve lost. Other times, they just need to be around people who understand without having to explain everything.
That’s why our grief and bereavement programs matter so much.
Our new Open Door online grief check-in group offers people an opportunity to connect and check in with others who understand what grief can feel like.
Through Journey Through Grief: Child Loss, we also create space for families who have experienced the unimaginable loss of a child. No parent should have to navigate that kind of loss feeling completely alone.
And our Women’s and Men’s Social Clubs offer something equally important: companionship and connection. These gatherings give people a chance to spend time with others, build relationships and find moments of belonging while navigating life after loss.
We’re seeing strong participation in our programs, and that tells us something important: people need these connections, and they’re finding value in having a place to turn.
Your donations help us continue offering these programs and reaching people who may otherwise feel alone in their grief.
Sometimes, the impact sounds like a song.
This month, we also shared a story about three friends whose friendship has lasted more than 60 years.
Tom and Roger were lifelong friends of John. During John’s time at St. Joseph’s Hospice, music brought them together again. After John passed away, Tom and Roger returned to Hospice to sing sharing Beatles and Ian Tyson songs with John’s family.
It was a beautiful reminder that Hospice is about more than medical care. It’s about making room for love, friendship, memories and meaningful moments, right to the end.
The Edith and Donald Strupat Foundation generously donated $10,000 in connection with John’s story. We’re deeply grateful for this gift and the way it honours John while helping support compassionate care for other families.
Sometimes, the moments that matter most aren’t big or elaborate. They’re simply a familiar song shared with the people you love.
Our community is showing up in a big way.
We also have some wonderful community partners to thank.
Tricar presented St. Joseph’s Hospice with $16,370 raised through its golf tournament. We’re so grateful to Tricar and everyone who helped make that gift possible.
Community support like this helps sustain the compassionate care and services our community relies on.
And it isn’t just our larger gifts that make a difference. Every donation, whether it’s made in memory of someone special, through a fundraising event or as a monthly gift, helps keep Hospice here for the people who need us.
Thank you for showing up for local families. We couldn’t do this without you.
And yes, your donation helps keep the lights on.
Let’s talk about something that doesn’t always make it into a heartwarming story: the bills.
Hospice is a home, but it’s also a busy place that needs to keep running every single day. There are staff salaries to pay, utilities to cover, supplies to purchase, equipment to maintain and unexpected expenses that pop up when we least expect them.
Because compassionate care isn’t just about the big, emotional moments. It’s also about having the resources, people and equipment needed to provide care day after day.
Your donation helps make both possible.
It helps support the people providing care, the programs connecting families, the everyday essentials that keep our residence running and the moments that families will carry with them long after they leave us.
So, what does your donation really do?
It helps a family share Thanksgiving around one last holiday table. It helps someone find companionship after the loss of a loved one. It helps a parent find support after losing a child. It helps friends honour someone they miss. And it helps ensure our residence has the people and resources needed to care for those who call it home.
Some of that impact is easy to see. Some happens quietly in the background. And some of it is found in a moment that a family will remember for the rest of their lives.
We know you have many causes you could support, and we never take your generosity for granted.
Whether you gave $20, made a major gift, attended an event, volunteered your time or told a friend about Hospice, thank you for being part of this community of care.
You help make sure that no one has to face life’s final journey or the loss of someone they love alone.
And honestly? We can’t think of a better reason to say thank you.