Help Hope Bloom | Cancer Care and More

April is Help Hope Bloom month at the Canadian Cancer Society. One expression of our country’s resilience, focus, and compassion. How are you building your community, your family, and your own state of well-being this Spring?

Growing hope and sustaining kindness one choice at a time

How do you keep your attention focused on hope and human kindness when surrounded by instability and uncertainty? Have you noticed that you have a whole lot of agency in some parts of your life? You may be experiencing considerable lack of control in others?

What are your go-to activities, practices, and hobbies you engage in when you need to bolster your (or your loved ones) outlook?

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

~ Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

Sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

The Canadian charities keeping hope alive

Charities like the Canadian Cancer Society help hope bloom! You likely already know that April is Daffodil Month! Every year, the CCS shares their brightly-coloured floral campaign inviting us to give, volunteer, and support folks living with cancer.

While not every charity is literally bloomin’ flowers, thousands (and we do mean 1,000’s!) of helping organizations are fostering resilience and determination.

They do this by building houses, filling fridges, fostering literacy, providing shelter, and caring for critters of every shape and size. ‘Need a quick dopamine zot? Spend a few hours volunteering at your local animal shelter. Join a walk-run-ride for your charity of choice! Engage your local theatre. Experience the robust earth caring efforts of your local conservation group.

Is anything so effective in bolstering faith in humanity than participating in helping and community?

Here’s where to start looking for inspiration

Remember those thousands of helping organizations? There is nothing quite so inspiring as exploring site after site showcasing the remarkable groups whose mission it is to just make the world a better place!

Have you heard of CanadaHelps? This is the go-to site to begin hope building. You might start your who’s-who of human kindness search with their list of 86,000 charities. You read that right! Or, get behind their “Cause Funds”. These are clusters of groups rallying behind similar causes. Join a local community of like-minded humans compassionately working toward very good ends! Or, if your wish is to make a difference related to an urgent, crisis situation, they have a link for that, too!

So, begin your exploration today. Perhaps there will be hope and motivation to be found in previously unexplored places.