CHPCA Launches Saying Goodbye campaign for #GivingTuesday Global Day of Giving on December 1st

Ottawa, November 24, 2020 – The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) is launching its “Saying Goodbye” campaign for #GivingTuesday, a global giving movement that has been driven by individuals, charities, businesses and communities across Canada and in countries around the world.

Just as Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday is the opening day of the giving season. #GivingTuesday, the global day of generosity, continues to gain traction across the country in its eighth year, with thousands of partner organizations and millions of Canadians expected to take part.

The theme for this year’s campaign is “Saying Goodbye”. We are advocating for the right of every Canadian to have the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, even in an unprecedented crisis such as COVID-19. There have been too many heartbreaking stories of families who were unable to say goodbye due to extreme restrictions on end-of-life visitations. While health and safety must continue to be paramount as we fight COVID-19, we can do better as a society by promoting a more compassionate, inclusive visitation protocol that embraces hospice palliative care principles and dying with dignity.

The CHPCA acknowledges the grief that many Canadians are experiencing and as part of this year’s campaign we are providing them with the opportunity to share their grief in several ways:

  1. Add your loved one’s name to our Saying Goodbye Memorial page
  2. Watch the recent Saying Goodbye Concert to honor Canadians who have passed during COVID-19.
  3. Sign the Declaration of Family Caregiver Rights and Responsibilities that calls upon all Canadians to adopt and promote caregivers’ rights and responsibilities designed to realize, maintain, and strengthen the role of family caregivers as an essential component of a caring and compassionate society.

On #GivingTuesday, the CHPCA wants Canadians to know that grief is a shared journey that fosters compassion and encourages them to cope with their grief by supporting each other through living and grieving. We might be physically distant, but we are together in grief. So far more than 7,500 Canadian charities, businesses and community groups have used #GivingTuesday to rally generosity and help make the world a better place in countless ways.

For more information on CHPCA and to donate, visit our bilingual page on Canada Helps at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/canadian-hospice-palliative-care-association-association-canadienne-de-soins-palliatifs/