- 23rd annual Honour A Life, Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. at West Vancouver United Church, 2062 Esquimalt Ave., West Vancouver.
Community members are invited to the 23rd annual Honour A Life, a non-denominational celebration intended to honour the lives of loved ones who've died, Thursday, Dec. 3 at West Vancouver United Church.
The event is presented by the North Shore Hospice Society and North Shore Palliative and Supportive Care Program in partnership with West Vancouver United Church and the West Vancouver Parks Department. "This is a lovely, safe and respectful place to honour people," says Eleanor Campbell who sits on the North Shore Hospice Society's board of directors.
"It can be an emotional evening but at the same time there's lots of support from volunteers. Even though there's emotion there's a real feeling of a gift of remembering.. .. This kind of ritual of remembrance, it can sometimes really help people.... Sometimes there's a feeling of comfort following it," she says.
The event is open to all North Shore residents who have experienced a loss and who wish to honour a loved one. It's also suitable for all ages.
"Death and bereavement, people dying and then people feeling the grief, it happens through every age group," says Campbell.
The event will kick off at 6 p.m. with a reception allowing those in attendance an opportunity to mingle and personalize memorial cards.
Guests will be seated for a ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. Each year different speakers offer personal remembrances and this year's ceremony will feature music by a choir from St. Thomas Aquinas as well as a North Shore music therapist.
"It's a very beautiful service," says Campbell.
The evening will be capped off with a candlelight walk down to the park at the foot of 19th Street.
"The candlelight walk, it's actually quite incredible watching people walking together down to the park and feeling supported by others who are also (experiencing) a feeling of loss," says Campbell.
Upon arrival, memorial cards will be placed on a Memorial Tree, which will be lit that evening and remain on display through the first week of January 2016.
"People can visit the tree afterwards and that also is a very healing kind of thing when people can go and visit the tree," says Campbell.
