COPES stands for "Connecting Others, Providing Education & Support. Our mission is to ensure that no child, youth or parent feels alone in their grief. We believe in the transformative power of communities to nurture healing and hope. Through our holistic and creative approaches, children, youth & parents build mental health resiliency and cope in healthier ways following loss.
Our story is rooted in the lived experiences of grief and loss and a shared understanding of the mental health needs of grieving children, youth and parents. Many of our team members have experienced loss from a pregnancy, infant, child, sibling or parent. Through our experiences and our collective knowledge, we know that there are few resources like ours to support children and their families. As professionals, we know how traumatic losses can affect the long-term mental health of children, youth and their families. As therapists and researchers we know that there is strong evidence to support creative approaches including art, music, play and recreation. Since the inception of our organization in March 2020, we have helped to support over 100 children and youth, engaged 20 families in our retreats/family connection days and engaged close to 2000 people on our Facebook Page. We also have the support of an amazing team of 25 skilled volunteers to support our programs and subcommittees (therapists, health professionals and peer mentors). We have also attracted researchers who have partnered with us to evaluate our new Healing HeARTS for Youth Program and received partnership grants to implement our Healing HeARTS for children program. As of January, 2022, we received charity status which will allow us to expand our reach. Recently, we received two grants to support our new Infant and Pregnancy Loss Support Group and Camp COPES retreat for youth. With this strong network of support, we know that we will achieve great things for, and with, our community. We hope you will join us.
Pam is a bereaved mother of Michael, who provides the passion and purpose for her work. She has taught nursing for 30 years and has expertise in perinatal nursing, family nursing, communication and grief/loss. She participates in research related to grief/loss and expressive arts. She believes in the power of creativity to heal hearts an
Pam is a bereaved mother of Michael, who provides the passion and purpose for her work. She has taught nursing for 30 years and has expertise in perinatal nursing, family nursing, communication and grief/loss. She participates in research related to grief/loss and expressive arts. She believes in the power of creativity to heal hearts and is currently pursuing Art Therapy. Pam provides leadership for the board and subcommittees of NB COPES.
Diana Dupont is a Nursing Instructor at UNB Saint John. She has a background in Emergency Room Nursing. She has been involved with supporting grieving families for the past 5 years. She lost her infant daugther Nora and has become committed to improving grief support services for families experiencing infant and pregnancy loss. Diana is
Diana Dupont is a Nursing Instructor at UNB Saint John. She has a background in Emergency Room Nursing. She has been involved with supporting grieving families for the past 5 years. She lost her infant daugther Nora and has become committed to improving grief support services for families experiencing infant and pregnancy loss. Diana is the chairperson for the Infant and Pregnancy Loss Subcommittee.
Jaclyn McColgan is a strong community advocate for Suicide prevention. Her interest in NB COPES arose from the loss of her partner Brad to suicide. As a mother of two youth, she understands the challenges of parenting through loss and supporting grieving children. She has a strong interest in strengthening resilience and mental health in children. She is the proud parent of Dean and Desmond.
Rob Moir is a professor at the joined UNB Saint John in the Faculty of Business. He has worked with various non-profit organizations in the community He has a strong background in Economics and brings his experience to NB COPES. He is a husband and the dad of two children. Rob brings his past experience of pregnancy loss and his passion for creating services to support grieving families.
Dr. Sarah Gander is living in Saint John, NB and with her family of two boys, Eddie and David with husband Steve. She has a busy clinical practice in the newly opened Community Social Pediatrics clinic and is faculty at both Dalhousie University and Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is involved with numerous organizations and is th
Dr. Sarah Gander is living in Saint John, NB and with her family of two boys, Eddie and David with husband Steve. She has a busy clinical practice in the newly opened Community Social Pediatrics clinic and is faculty at both Dalhousie University and Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is involved with numerous organizations and is the founder of NB Social Pediatrics. We are grateful for Dr. Gander's background in pediatrics and expertise in the impact of social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences on children and their families. To learn more about Dr. Gander go to: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-gander-b118741ab/
Paul Pastirik is the SVP Strategic Development at Bird Construction with an extensive background in both energy boards and non-profit sectors. He holds a BComm, MBA, CMA. He joined the board to continue the legacy of his late nephew Michael and brother Dan, a valued volunteer of NB COPES. Our board is grateful for his expertise in financi
Paul Pastirik is the SVP Strategic Development at Bird Construction with an extensive background in both energy boards and non-profit sectors. He holds a BComm, MBA, CMA. He joined the board to continue the legacy of his late nephew Michael and brother Dan, a valued volunteer of NB COPES. Our board is grateful for his expertise in financing and board development as we develop capacity for this work in New Brunswick. You can learn more about Paul on LINKED in https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-pastirik-ab927628/
Dr. Stewart is a Pediatric Neurologist. She is involved in research on the effects of Art/Music on mental health and the brain along with teaching at Dalhousie Medicine, New Brunswick. She has an extensive background in the area of grief and loss with children and youth. She has served on numerous boards in the community to support the in
Dr. Stewart is a Pediatric Neurologist. She is involved in research on the effects of Art/Music on mental health and the brain along with teaching at Dalhousie Medicine, New Brunswick. She has an extensive background in the area of grief and loss with children and youth. She has served on numerous boards in the community to support the integration of the humanities into health and medicine. We are grateful for Dr. Stewart's extensive volunteer services along with her expertise in the integration of humanities and creative arts as a critical component of holistic health and healing. To learn more about Dr. Stewart go to: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/core-units/cpd/about/our-people/wendy-stewart.html
We have a strong committee that provides advice and support for our developing infant and pregnancy loss committee. We are grateful for the contributions of the following members:
Diana Dupont (Chairperson)
Pam Pastirik
Cathleen LeBlanc
Brandy Williams
Mike Williams
Kelly Hudson-Lewis