A message from Teri Henderson, CEO
Eli is 8 years old. He lives in Victoria and loves going to the beach with his family, searching for smooth rocks and shiny shells with the family dog by his side.
Three weeks ago, Eli’s dad died suddenly.
Since then, nights have been the hardest. He lies awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling scared and alone. At school, Eli feels like a stranger among his friends. He cries in the bathroom so no one will see. His teacher notices he’s falling behind, but Eli can’t focus — his mind is elsewhere, caught in a loop of memories and feelings he doesn’t understand.
Will Eli get the support he needs to cope with his grief, or will he face this alone?
Eli’s mom, grappling with her own grief, knows they need help. She calls Victoria Hospice — the only free, in-person grief counselling for kids in Greater Victoria. “Can you see my son? It’s urgent. I don’t know what else to do.”
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This composite story of Eli represents the real experiences of many children we support. Every year, hundreds of children in Greater Victoria experience the death of a parent or sibling. Research shows that unresolved grief in childhood can lead to anxiety, depression, and even increased risk of substance use and suicide later in life. Without specialized care, grief can derail education, relationships, and mental health for years.
In my forty years of working with families, I’ve never seen cases as complex as those we face today — children coping with sudden loss, trauma, and multiple other challenges. Your support is needed now more than ever.
Your gift today will provide compassionate end-of-life and bereavement care when it’s needed most — like giving Eli a safe space to process his grief and learn how to navigate life so that loss doesn’t derail his future.
Our dedicated child and youth counsellor works in schools, our Community Support Centre, and in homes to help children cope with anticipatory grief and loss. We also offer counselling, support groups, and resources for parents and caregivers so they can better support their grieving children.
When tragedy strikes, your generosity ensures our doors are open to families in the community. Our specialized child and youth counsellor carries a full caseload of very young clients, and demand for our services continues to grow. Yet, our region has no other free, in-person grief counselling for kids.
Too often, children slip through the cracks, journeying through bereavement alone. Without your continued support, wait times will only grow and too many kids won’t get the vital support they desperately need.
This breaks my heart, because we know that early support makes a real difference. Prompt counselling decreases a child’s distress and helps them find a healthy path through grief.
For a child grieving a loved one, your year-end gift can be the difference between a childhood defined by anxiety and depression…and one of healing and enrichment.
Please make your most generous gift today to support children and families when the unthinkable happens.
Thank you for making compassionate end-of-life and bereavement care possible.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Teri Henderson, RSW, MSW
Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Hospice
P.S. No child should have to face grief alone. Your gift today will ensure families across Greater Victoria have access to expert care and guidance during life’s hardest moments.