CORNWALL, Ontario – The whole family was able to have fun on Monday, Feb. 19 with colourful face painting, crafty balloon animals, and fantastic prizes, all for a great cause.
The Bereaved Families of Ontario, Cornwall office, held their first annual Family Fun Day Extravaganza to raise funds in order to help those who have lost loved ones around Cornwall.
The agency relies purely on funds donated by the community through events like those held last Monday.
“These events are critical to our success as an agency and we really appreciate the support given by the community,” said Francis Rounding, a key organizer for the group.
The agency has been aiding people who have lost loved ones for 31 years and has helped almost 1,000 people during 2016.
“People come to us who have been referred by the Community Health Association, from psychiatrists and doctors because we deal and specialize in facilitating grief,” explained Rounding.
The event hoped to raise almost $1,000 with the Extravaganza with the aid of numerous volunteers.
“I’ve been volunteering as a professional, as a lot of people I was meeting in my field were coming in with grief issues and I saw how much better they felt after meeting with the Bereaved Families,” explained Pauline Lariviere, who is a mental health counselor with Child and Youth Mental Health Services.
Pauline ran the face painting and balloon animal stations at the event while assisting some of the other stations.
Many other groups within the community supported the event like Cogeco and the Cornwall Police.
The Bereaved Families of Ontario plans to host events like this every month with rumours of a garage sale and bazaar set for July.
