CORNWALL, Ontario – On Saturday, May 26, Miss Liz’s Chocolate Factory Tea Party attracted attendees to Knox St. Paul’s United Church to show their support for Bereaved Families of Ontario-Cornwall.
“We have approximately one fundraiser every month,” said Gisele Roy, the organization’s facilitator. In the upcoming months, Bereaved Families is scheduled to hold a spaghetti dinner, rummage sale and gala. According to Roy, this isn’t the first time Miss Liz has helped fundraise for the organization.
“This is my second year,” said Elizabeth Gagnon, owner of Miss Liz’s Tea Parties. “Last year I raised $903. This year my goal is to raise $2000. I am also a board member with Bereaved Families. I joined them last year in March after taking many of their closed groups and one-on-ones.”
Gagnon hosts tea parties to raise money for various services in Cornwall. Each tea party she hosts is different. Depending on the event, different themes and treats are incorporated.
“I believe it’s important to raise funds for Bereaved Families because it’s a service that is needed by everybody. Everybody loses a loved one at some time in their life. The service is run by donations, so we need these sort of fundraisers in order to keep the services going,” said Gagnon.
Guest speakers Danny Flannigan, Carl Broughton and Jack Terry shared inspiring, personal stories at the event. Some discussed their struggles with bereavement and others talked about mental illness.
“We are beginning to raise awareness on mental illness and raise tolerance of mental illness,” said Roy. “Bereavement is also not a popular topic and a lot of people don’t want to talk about grief or death. But it’s a reality of life. At some point or another, everyone will lose someone in death.”
To contact Bereaved Families of Ontario-Cornwall, call 613-936-1455 or email info@bfocornwall.ca.
