The holidays may be a difficult time of the year for families coping with the loss of a loved one.
Join Cochrane and Area Hospice Society on Saturday November 30 for their first annual Remembrance Tree Celebration and feel a little closer to those angels.
Outside the Clubhouse - which is located on the Historic Cochrane Ranche site - will be two evergreen trees. The evergreens' are currently lit with white lights but the idea behind the event is to remember loved ones by replacing a light on the tree.
"For a donation we will put a coloured light on the tree in memory of loved ones that have passed away and our intention is to have the tree shine throughout the month of December," explains Jill Uniacke board member with the Cochrane and Area Hospice Society. "We have a lady named Jennifer McClure who happens to be a funeral director and she is going to do a little talk on tips and a bit of a bereavement through the holidays."
There will also be a remembrance book where loved one's names can be added which will be read out during the celebration. Uniacke adds that everyone is welcome to participate and if individuals can't afford to make a donation they certainly won't be turned away.
All donations from the celebration will go toward supporting the Cochrane and Area Hospice Society.
"It will fund some of the programs, plus we are trying to fundraise to eventually have some hospice beds within Cochrane. It's part remembrance and a little bit of a fundraiser but mostly it's just a remembrance celebration and a way for our hospice society to honour our loved ones that have passed away and recognize this time of year."
Following the celebration there will be refreshments and Christmas baking for participants to indulge on. Also in attendance, filling the air with Christmas favourites will be Cochrane Music Society's own River Reeds. A clarinet ensemble.
"The River Reeds are a lovely little band, as much as it's sad it's supposed to be a nice occasion that people can look forward to," said Uniacke. "It's just really a nice way to honour and remember our loved ones through the holidays."
The Cochrane and Area Hospice Society also has support walks that run all year. During the winter months individuals meet at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre every Tuesday at 10 a.m. If the weather is kind enough the 45-minute walk will happen outside but there is always the option to walk inside as well. The intention of the walk is not to be a therapeutic session but to allow those participating to enjoy the beauty of nature or to allow the opportunity to walk alongside those who are on a similar journey in life.
The Remembrance Tree Celebration will get underway from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday (Nov.30) at the Clubhouse.
