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Breana’s Story

“It’s always been really important for me to give back,” Breana Walker says. “I feel like we live in an ‘I’ generation. I think it’s vital that we are out there supporting each other and making sure that no one has fallen through the cracks.”

And give back she does through her job as a fundraiser at a local university, her volunteer work with the National Ballet School, and her recent appointment as chair of Bereaved Families of Ontario – Midwestern Region (BFO-MR). Even her dogs are rescues.

Looking to become more involved in her community, Breana joined the board three years ago as a director, drawn by BFO-MR’s messaging and programs.

“I’ve been around loss a fair amount in my life. So, I knew how important it was to have programs such as these.”

Breana served on BFO-MR’s board for about eight months before she had the chance to attend one of the organization’s memorial events. What she found gave a whole new depth of understanding to what BFO-MR offers to people moving through loss

While BFO-MR’s Butterfly Release and Tree of Bright Stars are very different in some ways — one’s held in summer, the other during the Christmas season, one is more joyful, the other a little more solemn — both events allow families to gather together to remember and celebrate the loved ones they’ve lost.

And those losses don’t have to be recent. Many families come back year after year.

“You see grandparents, parents and little kids (who may not even have met the person who died) at these events. The families are here to lay another memory down, to keep that connection with their loved one alive,” Breana says.

Part of what makes these events so meaningful is the dedication of volunteers who pour their time and talents into the details. Like the woman who creates beautiful scrapbooks to commemorate the lives of loved ones who have died. Or another volunteer who handwrites names onto stained glass star ornaments for the Tree of Bright Stars.

BFO-MR volunteers often begin coming to these events as part of their own grieving process, Breana notes. They attend year after year and then decide to volunteer as a way to give back, devoting countless hours so that others can be comforted.

“Their passion is inspiring,” she says.

In her role as chair, Breana hopes to spread awareness of BFO-MR’s programs and engage community members, including those who aren’t grieving themselves but who want to learn how to help friends or relatives who are.

And she wants to encourage more people to attend BFO-MR events and see how the organization can help them.

Although most people have suffered from some form of loss, many don’t think to seek out support groups, or even know that they exist.

“There is that apprehension. They say ‘I don’t want to be around a bunch of people who are crying and who are sad. I’m not ready for that.’ Or, ‘they won’t understand me.’ And so, they suffer silently.”

But by simply attending events like the Butterfly Release or Tree of Bright Stars, those who are grieving can get a sense of the support that’s available, in a welcoming environment with no expectations.

“They can meet individuals who are at different stages in their grief journey. They can talk with them and share their experiences. Or they may simply choose to quietly reflect,” Breana says.

“There’s a sense of companionship just being around those who’ve been through similar situations. We want people to realize that BFO is a safe place to grieve, no matter how they choose to do that.”