Celebrating volunteers: National Volunteer Week 2006: April 23 to 29
by Kathleen Foster-Morgan

EDITH FOX LIFE & LOSS CENTRE HONOURS VOLUNTEER

Northport, ON: At its Annual General Meeting January 24, 2006, the Board of Directors of the Edith Fox Life & Loss Centre honoured Elizabeth Robb for her outstanding service to the organization since its inception in 2002. Elizabeth was the founding secretary of the Board and the designer of LAMB sweater sets, knitted by volunteers and sold to benefit the Centre.

Elizabeth has also been a key volunteer in the annual A Bench & A Few Good Chairs fundraising event that takes place the 2nd weekend in June. Ie, June 10, 11, 2006.

Elizabeth will continue in her role as a facilitator in the Lambs for Children program, an 8 week program for children between 6 and 11 who are experiencing grief.

In recognition of her service, she was presented with a framed Peggy De Witt photo. AND we have many other volunteers that are building this Centre to fruition!

The 2006 Board of elected Directors includes; President, Lana Lockyer Holmes, Evelyn Trites as Treasurer and Directors Rosemary Kent, Jennifer Lemieux, Scott MacDonald and Dr. Bonnie Robson.

Kathleen Foster-Morgan, CGT OSP FT, founder of the Edith Fox Life & Loss Centre, is now the Chief Executive Officer of this federal non-profit organization. Kathleen is a clinical member of the Ontario Society of Psychotherapists and obtained her Fellow in Thanatology with the (International) Association of Death Education & Counselling in Chicago, Illinois in 2005.

January 30 2006 - Lambs for Children, Bereavement Group For Youngsters
by Linda O'Connor - Belleville Intelligencer

Michelle Kitchener never gave much thought to counselling until her life was turned changed forever. In December, 2004, Kitchener’s husband Craig died suddenly, leaving her and three young children.

Worried about the effect it would have on her two older daughters, Brianna, seven, and Charlotte, five, she took up the school principal’s idea to get her daughters involved in a grief counselling program for children, Lambs for Children. She says it was the best decision she ever made.

“They were trying to grasp his death and understand how this was going to effect their lives. My biggest concern was what was going to help them in the long run.”

So in early 2005, the girls joined the program which helps children deal with loss.

They benefited, she said, “with their acceptance of their dad’s death and that our lives were going to be okay.”

She said it also gave them the coping skills to deal with the loss.

“We were a very close family and he was very involved in their lives. All of a sudden he was gone and they wanted to know what was going to fill that void in their lives.”

Lambs for Children uses a creative, reflective outlet to effective nurture children experiencing loss in nature-based setting, explains its founder, psychotherapist Kathleen Foster-Morgan. It is held at the Edith Fox Life & Loss Centre in Prince Edward County.

The children have a chance to cuddle with a small animal maybe a bunny or lamb, make a nature craft and talk about how they are feeling.

Lambs for Children is an eight-week program which helps children ages six to 11 deal with loss.

It might be the death of a parent or sibling; it could be a divorce, separation or bullying whatever is causing trauma in a child’s life.

Set in a renovated pig house overlooking the Bay of Quinte, the children are led through this journey of self-discovery by Foster-Morgan and Elizabeth Robb, a retired teacher.

The human-animal bond as a form of healing is an integral part of the process, says Foster-Morgan.

“The philosophy of the Edith Fox Life and Loss Centre (a non-profit, charitable organization) is that the process of healing is often best achieved through a creative, cathartic, reflective and projective outlet to effectively nurture children and adults experiencing loss with professional assistance and in nature-based settings.”

Foster-Morgan, who has been offering the program in Prince Edward County since 2001, says she introduced it 10 years ago. It began as a pilot project in Toronto, working with Riverdale Farm, before moving to Prince Edward County.

She says the objectives of the eight-week course (the next one begins Feb. 13), are to help children accept the full range of feelings as part of life anger, sadness and joy, and for children to appreciate the human-animal bond and horticultural experiences.

“There is no greater priority need for children who are experiencing loss than to find a nurturing, healing path to well being,” she explains.

Loss and grieving due to illness and death have always been fundamentally difficult processes in society, says Foster-Morgan, and especially for children, who are often called “the forgotten mourners.

“The reality is that more children than ever before are experiencing loss within social settings due to the prevalence of world tragedy, illness, death and divorce.

“The effects of physical and psychosocial loss for children can be devastating. A child will inevitably find a healthy or unhealthy means of coping with a parent’s illness, death or divorce.”

She says there is a lot of evidence to suggest that many children who are not able to effectively deal with loss may experience emotional strain over time that can be detrimental to their well being and development.

She says developing the human-animal bond encourages the children to find helping strategies for themselves and increases their self-esteem and confidence. “Combining pet therapy with horticultural experiences provides the children with an everlasting learning experience.”

Children also have a chance to make their difficult time easier by sharing with others in similar situations.

“Each child unfolds like a flower as they take their time in telling their personal grief story over the eight weeks.”

As one child said to Morgan after the program ended: “you took away the monsters.”

For Kitchener’s children, now nine and seven, one continued on in August. They both really benefited from the program, says their mom.

She says she would highly recommend it for other families experiencing some kind of loss.

Interviews are required for acceptance to the program. If you’d like to find out more, contact Foster-Morgan at 476-1128.

May/June 2005 - Umbrella - Covering the Arts in Quinte
a publication by the Quinte Arts Council

There is a fascinating synchronicity in our creativity and our humanity. We all have an inherent understanding that creativity is the essence of life; procreation begins the life cycle.

When we apply the understanding of this synchronicity to our daily life, we develop a greater appreciation for our own creativity and how we can create fullness and balance in our lives. And when we experience the seasons of our humanity, our creativity allows us to express what we are feeling.

Read the full article...

May 2005 - Remembering Mother
by Carol Tenbrink

Even if your mother has died, this year, you can still celebrate Mother's Day in an especially meaningful way. And no matter what fond or conflicted memories you hold of your mom, this is worth doing. Through the Edith Fox Centre, an elegant scrapbook is taking shape. It's called 'Remembering Mother' and is held at the Picton Library. Just as Kathleen Foster-Morgan has commemorated her mother by naming the centre after her, you too can create a permanent marker for your mom. The page you create for her becomes a part of this social historical document.

No matter how humble or accomplished, how glowing or troublesome your mom was, she remains your mother. She gave you life. Creating a page for her in this book is a way to say,... hey, this person existed and here is some of what she was like. It's not so long ago in Canada that women were not even considered 'persons'. Mothers are the foundation of human life and never get enough recognition. So think about it. Why not stop, reflect and remember you mother in this way?

The book is Myrna Mather's idea. She has a page for her mother in the book. Myrna says of her mom, "she had to quit teaching when she married, but always remained an adventurous and irreverent person, possessed of a sense of humor, never taking herself too seriously. We were alike in many ways and so our relationship was not easy, but I wanted to honor her. She always encouraged me to be a strong and independent woman."

Edith Fox, Kathleen Foster-Morgan's mother also has a page in the 'Remembering Mother' book. Edith Fox was married to George Foster, a reeve of Sophiasburgh in the county, so she has deep roots here. The raison'd etre of the Edith Fox Centre is healing loss experiences through nature and creative arts. So here's your chance to heal a piece of the loss of your mother and to honor her at the same time.

Myrna Mather will be pleased to help you put together your mother's page in the book. What could you put in? Pretty much anything goes. Whatever gives a feel for who your mother was as a person. It could be excerpts from letters she wrote, or favorite or interesting things about your mother. It could be a poem, a drawing, a photo, a little reminiscence by or about your mother. Myrna can scan documents for you, so that you keep the originals. She can meet you in the Picton library so you can see the book, and discuss ideas for your page. She'll start you on your way and assist you through-out the process.

You can call her at: 476-4008. Or email: myrnamather@hotmail.com

Spring 2005 - Picton Gazette

News from Northport
by Kathleen Foster-Morgan

Transition is always a part of loss. And it certainly seems our local papers get many transitioning letters, change comes from loss. Or is that loss brings change? I truly believe that out of confusion and chaos comes clarity. I have had so many conversations lately regarding "what’s happening" in the County. They even have women at the Rotary Stag and men at the Women's International Day! And then there is a gender- sexual issue for some and what will they be wearing at their wedding? Myself, I was from the County and had an opportunity to leave and come back. I came back different as many have told me, I needed to leave to explore. That is not to say if you never left you never explored – you likely just explored different things in different ways. Yet I do get concerned when I hear a "them and us" attitude. Or often said we have 3 camps here, those that stayed, those that come from here and then decided to come back, or those Toronto people. ( Actually, I think they come from other parts of the world as well.) We have a thriving artistic community that brings depth and economy to us…we are an agriculture community and a tourism hot spot. The goal of building community in the true sense is being able to get through the differences and accept the reality that we live in a very unique part of Canada with changes on the way! Life brings change, every moment. The figure ground shifts from the tree to the forest. We need to be able to see all the angles or the whole picture to make a tolerant community. We have amazing community spirit witnessed with such generosity for local families in need and world events like Tsunami. The media ensures coverage on grief related events and yet the intensity of constant viewing can have an overwhelming effect on the personal psyche.

As we approach the ending of our first year at the Edith Fox Life & Loss Centre, I am reminded at how much loss there really is and how much work we need to accomplish. Locally, provincially, federally and world-wide. I complete my 3 year term as international board member with the Association of Death Education & Counselling this week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am sure we will discuss living wills and complicated choices of end of life situations. I have had the portfolio of being part of a team to explore ethics and leadership in the field of thanatology – I have learned much working with researchers and clinicians in similar fields.

And I wanted to bring some knowledge back to my community we have managed to provide a locally, specialised clinical grief service to help over 50 families in our area, which includes those who drive from Trenton, Belleville and Kingston. We are in the process of creating a marketing campaign including collaboration with Peter Thompson as frequent guest to his TALK – CJBQ radio show and a new website. We have increased service with 3 Lambs for Children Programs this year, developed 2 Bibliotherapy programs, commenced a Scrapbook – Pages of the Heart project, and will offer Camp Star in August. Contact Kathleen Foster-Morgan for further details on any of these programs at 613.476.1128.

And of course we can not continue without our fundraising events.

Elizabeth Robb, Myrna Mather and yours truly have had the pleasure of singing with Georgette Fry from the past few years. Georgette developed That Choir with over 100 women in Kingston, Ontario. We are delighted to be performing at the Picton United Church 3PM on MAY 1st – proceeds to The Edith Fox Life & Loss Centre. The concept of this unique woman’s choir is simple…women who want to sing and find their voice. The effects are transforming in many ways, creating harmony with 100 other women energises us to take action in other areas of our lives. As Myrna Mather comments "when we sing in That Choir, we release the entertainer and performer inside ourselves. For a moment we become Norah Jones, Dolly Parton and Jann Arden." Tickets available from Books on The Bay, Main St. Picton.