$40,000 in provincial grant money for Parksville-based grief and bereavement non-profit

Mohan co-founded Lumara over 20 years ago after working as a therapist in a hospice palliative care program in North Vancouver.

She clearly saw the need to improve how families are supported after a loved one’s passing.

In 2023-24, Lumara reached nearly 4,000 people in 174 communities across ten provinces and one territory, with 98 per cent of participants saying they felt more hopeful after enrolling in a participating program, according to a Lumara annual report.

Part of this grant will help fund a cultural liaison for their Indigenous wellness program, with a disproportionate amount of Indigenous people living with complex and long-lasting grief for a variety of reasons.

“If someone calls our office and identifies as Indigenous and wants to speak with our elder, they can access him virtually and then in person on the streets,” said Mohan. “The idea is to help them mitigate some of those devastating impacts and change the spiral of intergenerational trauma.”

She said it’s crucial Indigenous people feel safe in accessing their services, with a “gifted and knowledgeable” elder on hand, allowing them to provide culturally safe and appropriate care.

“The family retreats are for people to come as a family unit. Children, youth, adults, elders. We have a four-day program for them where they’re involved in grief therapy sessions, as well as regular kinds of fun outdoor activities where they get to spend quality time together. Canoeing, hiking, ziplining, horseback riding, various things.”

Lumara will be hosting a dinner and dance charity fundraiser on July 4 at Cuckoo’s in Coombs, with all proceeds supporting their non-profit.

More information on Lumara’s programs can be found on their website, lumarasociety.org.

Nanaimo beneficiaries
Nanaimo’s Island Crisis Care Society was also awarded a $40,000 grant for their LifeSkills Indigenous Women’s Healing Circle.

The program provides culturally rooted support for Indigenous women ages 19-79 who have faced homelessness or housing insecurity through weekly workshops led by Indigenous Elders and Facilitators, according to a provincial news release.

BGC of Central Vancouver Island also received a $40,000 grant for their Youth Early Prevention program, which offers positive adult role models and RCMP officers to talk about crime prevention, reducing bullying, and improving social connections for kids aged 8-12.

Provincial funding to the tune of $7.5 million in one-time grants through the Civil Forfeiture Grant Program, supporting 166 projects across B.C.

More information on all the grant recipients can be found here.

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by Jordan Davidson

$40,000 in provincial grant money for Parksville-based grief and bereavement non-profit

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