Endings of organizations – Closure Ceremonies

Thank you for holding space for us all to celebrate BOND (Birthing Options for Nanaimo and District) and what it has meant to each of us, as well as grieve the end of this important support and birth activist organization.”  Bev Short

Community organizations have a lifetime.  They are founded, they have a life and serve the people who are involved as staff, as volunteers and as clients or community participants. Energy and love have been invested, challenges met, and surpassed, and great things accomplished and then, for a host of reasons, the organization comes to the end of its life and needs to be closed down. I have created and officiated a number of Closure Ceremonies and each ceremony honoured the founders and gave people a place and space to express their gratitude and their grief.  By taking the time to say thank you and goodbye, we honour what we have shared and make room in our hearts for new projects and groups to begin.

“Thank you for holding this celebration to help us all say goodbye to Dramamuse and to honour all the people who worked together to create meaning and moving Museum Theatre experiences.”  Shainna

 

“We here at WINGES, the Women’s Employment Service, would like to express our appreciation of the wonderful closure ceremony you led for us on our final Celebration of Success Day.  We value the way you inclusively interviewed the persons who were significantly affected by our transition to ensure that all had input into the closure.  You did a lovely job of incorporating ideas and concepts from each participant, interwoven with your evocative symbolism.  The ceremony you conducted was an important ritualizing of this event in all its aspects, including both celebration and loss.  We felt you honoured the journey of ourselves and our clients inclusively.”  Debby Keith, Liz Laird and Lynne MacFadgen.