Full Story

The Compassionate Friends of Southwestern Manitoba had their beginning in the compassion one person had for the parent's of a young child who's life was cut short by tragedy.

Karen Elves R.N. met young Jaquelyn Dmyterko one Sunday along with her mother and sister.  Before the week was out, Jaquelyn, only 21 months old, died in Brandon, November 7, 1986, from head injuries caused by an abusive babysitter.  Karen watched the mother of this child struggle with her grief, and felt so helpless that she began to search for means of support.  She became aware of  an international organization called, The Compassionate Friends, a grief support group that evolved in England in 1967, spread throughout the USA and is now networked through Canada. As a result of in depth research, she recognized the need, and began the procedure of implementing a support group in this area.  The first organizational meeting was held at Central Park Lodge on May 13, 1987 with four advisory board members, three TCF national board members and fifteen bereaved parents for a total of twenty-two in attendance.

As the chapter evolved, the time came for Karen to step aside and to encourage new leaders.  Gwen Linski and Faye Neff graciously accepted their new roles.  They have worked tirelessly on behalf of this chapter and others, TCF families and the community.  As the need for more permanent space became apparent Gwen's role expanded and she managed our office and coordinated the volunteers.  She soon became the heart and drive of our chapter, many people both here and across the country have had their lives touched by her compassion.  Gwen has since moved on to become a member of the National Board of TCF, and has served as the Provincial Director in Manitoba, and is currently the Vice President of the National Board.  We all join in celebrating her tremendous spirit, and the courage she has shown in her own life is an inspiration to us all.  We have been lucky enough to keep Faye around here, and she has continued to be a backbone of our Board of Directors, and an unfailing volunteer.  She still works with families in our chapter whose loss is new in a supportive role.  She is also involved with the Angel Memorial Program, started this year, with the first annual memorial service being held on October 2nd, 2002.  This program provides a way for families who have lost a child through miscarriage to memorialize and commemorate their child's life.  An Angel monument has been added to the Children's Memorial Garden at the Brandon Municipal Cemetery, by the Regional Health Authority.  Specially made bricks with the children's names inscribed on them will carpet the area surrounding this beautiful tribute to the Angels who have touched these family's lives however briefly.

Through the years this chapter has continued to grow, through the tremendous support of the volunteers, and the community. We have hosted 3 successful conferences, "Wrap Myself in a Rainbow" in 1995, "Homecoming '97", and our third conference, held in 2003 was entitled "Northern Lights ~ Reflections of Healing".