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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, April 29, 2016 | 6 Oakville's Lighthouse We all need to get a green light on our mental health. Next week, Halton Regional Police stations will be awash in green light to recognize the Canadian Mental Health Association's (CMHA) Mental Health Week (May 2-8). After all, it is often the police who deal with those experiencing a mental health crisis. Elsewhere in the community, another group also deals with mental health in our most vulnerable and special population... our children, when they face grief. · · · "In homes across Canada, there are children and adults, who are experiencing a very dif cult time in their lives. They often feel a debilitating sadness. Or they may go through periods of feeling agitated or anxious. They may cry at the slightest little upset. Sometimes they go through their routines as if in a fog. They might start their day in a great mood, only to be blindsided by some unknown trigger that sinks them back into feeling sad and lost. What do the children and adults described here all have in common? They are grieving the death of someone in their life. Grief may appear like depression to the outsider, but in fact, these emotional, physical and thought reactions are a normal and natural response to death loss. When the bereaved feel it is OK to experience and express their loss without guilt or shame, when they feel cared for and understood, grief rarely leads to depression. However, without a circle of support from family, friends, and the wider community, a child or adult's grief may develop into a serious mental health condition. Yet so many of us avoid the bereaved because it makes us uncomfortable, at the very time we are needed most. So, reach in to support the grieving families in your life and your community, rather than turn away. Together, we create the circle of caring to a grieving family. Together, we can support families by supporting the Lighthouse For Grieving Children. With the strong support of our many volunteers and donors, The Lighthouse was able to raise suf cient funds to buy our future permanent home, and is now getting ready for renovations. Lighthouse expects to be ready to move in to its new home at 2522 Rebecca St., in Oakville, later this year. As a result of the hugely successful Lighthouse Legacy campaign, The Lighthouse will be able to double the number of families supported each year. Lighthouse will continue to provide the home-like, no-charge, openended peer support groups in its new home. Equally exciting -- our campaign will position Lighthouse as a children's grief training and resource centre so it can teach other communities in Canada how to build on its 16-year track record of working -- on a daily basis -- with bereaved tots, children, teens and the adults in their lives. The Lighthouse approach and learnings, which saw it develop from one group a week to a thriving community centre, will be available to many communities right across Canada." This guest editorial was submitted for Mental Health Week by The Lighthouse For Grieving Children, a peer support and grief resource centre for children, teens and their parents/guardians. For more information, go to www. grievingchildrenlighthouse.org. Editorial L I V E A I D A T M O R D E N "Connected to your Community" W.H. Morden Public School students Hari Lal, left, and Oliver Lyn rehearse before Morden's Change Club's third annual Live Aid Concert and Funfair April 21, in support of author Eric Walter's Creation of Hope Project in Kenya. Walter supports the orphans of the Mbooni Region in Kenya and the surrounding community. Funds raised go towards the Creation of Hope Charity to help support the children of the Rolling Hills Orphanage in Kenya. The Morden event features a cakewalk, raf e, silent auction of students' artwork, face painting, and a dance party room -- as well as the concert. | photo by Michael Ivanin ­ special to the Beaver 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 54 | Number 33 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER KELLY MONTAGUE DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager LORI ANN GZOVDANOVIC Director of Production MARK DILLS C A strong community benefits all ommunity is a word we use every day, but what does it really mean to have a strong, healthy community? To me it means each of us coming together for the betterment of all of us. When we empower, respect, educate, accept, include, listen to and protect everyone in our community, we are all stronger for it. I truly believe there are three key ways in which we can strengthen our Oakville North- Burlington community: supporting each other; supporting our environment; and, supporting our economy. Budget 2016 will make changes in funding for students, ensuring more of our kids will be able to attend college or university. Families will receive more help thanks to the new Canada Child Benet, a simpler, tax-free and more generous plan that will replace existing federal child bene ts. The Government of Canada will invest more than $165 million in the Youth Employment Strategy, starting this year, to help support young Canadians, who have not completed high school. Investing in youths' jobs and opportunities is part of the government's plan to help the middle class. Our plan to improve walking and cycling infrastructure and public transit will ensure more people can commute without cars. Protecting our local green spaces means our children have a healthier environment to live in. Our budget is based on the belief sustainability and a healthy environment go hand-in-hand. I was thrilled to see so many people in our community recognize My View MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Pam Damoff Oakville North-Burlington MP Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Earth Day last week by turning out lights, biking instead of driving and joining local cleanup efforts at parks, schools and trails across our community. In December 2015, we announced a tax cut for the middle class, which we know puts more money in your hands to support local businesses. Growing our community's small businesses and helping young people nd employment mean a stronger economy for all of us. As we look ahead to 2017 and celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary, we are starting to plan ways to celebrate each other, our strengths and our national pride, all of which contribute to making our community strong. I am delighted to represent the Oakville North-Burlington community in Ottawa and like you, work each day to serve, support and strengthen it for all of us. -- Pam Damoff is the Member of Parliament for Oakville North-Burlington. Our new constituency of ce is now open at 2525 Old Bronte Rd., Suite 590, Oakville. Tel: 905-8474043; website: MPDamoff.ca. Open house: Tuesday, May 24, 4-7 p.m. Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.