Losing your spouse is considered by many to be the most stressful experience a person can have. In fact, according to the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, the death of a spouse scores 100 – the highest value on their scale1. When a young parent is widowed, it adds complications and challenges that are almost unimaginable. In the midst of immense grief, they must cope with navigating their children through their own grief, and a myriad of practical concerns as well. The Hummingbird Centre for Hope understands these struggles and provides young widowed parents with children resources and support to help them find a renewed sense of hope.
Recognizing the extraordinary emotional, practical, and social challenges that come with such a loss, the Hummingbird Centre offers strength-building, peer-based support designed specifically for widowed mothers and fathers. Their mission is to build a community of hope where parents can access tools, connection, and confidence to rebuild their lives and nurture their families through grief and beyond. Their Founder and Executive Director, Marny Williams Balodis, lost her own husband when her children were young and says that “Hummingbird is what I wanted and needed back then.”
What makes Hummingbird truly special is the way they combine expert knowledge with deep lived experience. All of their facilitators are widowed parents themselves. Through programs like Finding Hope, Legacy Academy, and Legacy Kids, participants are able to share stories, learn practical coping strategies, deepen their understanding of grief, and connect with others who genuinely get it. “Grief can be very isolating, and building a community that really gets it is critically important,” comments Marny, “the magic is in the community.”
Hummingbird’s services are offered both in person and virtually to ensure that support is accessible and meaningful no matter where families are on their journey. Newly widowed parents reach out to them weekly from across Canada – they serve approximately 500 families in total. All of their programs are offered at no cost to families, which is an important priority given the financial hardship that often accompanies the loss of a partner.
The Hummingbird Centre for Hope is more than a resource. It is a gathering place where parents can share their burdens, restore their purpose, and build positive futures for themselves and their children. Their Kindred Charitable Fund grant will be used to promote and deliver programming, as well as develop practical, downloadable tip sheets on a variety of issues. Kindred is pleased to support Hummingbird’s impactful work in supporting widowed parents as they cope with overwhelming challenges. Kindred is committed to supporting organizations that help us bring our values to life, strengthen our communities, and support shared wellbeing.
1 https://www.stress.org/self-assessments/holmes-rahe-life-stress-inventory