Family Paint Afternoon: Halloween Theme
The loss of a child - whether during pregnancy, at birth, or in early childhood is a heartbreak that no parent should have to face. Empty Arms has partnered with Evolve Counselling & Wellness to bring you this virtual support group series offering a safe, understanding space to connect with other parents who share this journey.
Led by a licensed therapist experiences in grief and loss, these monthly sessions provide gentle guidance, coping strategies, and a supportive community where your feelings are honoured and your child’s memory is respected. Together, we’ll explore ways to navigate grief, manage day-to-day challenges, and find moments of healing.
This group welcomes all loss parents, regardless of how long ago your loss occurred. Here, your story matters, your grief is valid, and you are not alone.
The following sessions are open for registration:
Full session details below.
Select their photo to learn more.
Lead by Lana McAleer, M. ED., Registered Psychologist
Feeling supported when experiencing grief can be complicated, as some people may overstep in their desire to help while others may be hesitant to reach out. This presentation will discuss how to navigate support from others through setting boundaries and inviting support in.
Setting Boundaries: One of the most useful ways to set boundaries is to communicate assertively, which includes using “I” statements, describe how another person’s behaviour makes you feel, and saying “no” when necessary.
Inviting Support In: Support can be invited in through a variety of ways, including stating one’s feelings, what one needs, and asking one whom you can trust.
Lead by Katarina Schmidt MSW, RSW
This presentation will explore how grief impacts our brains. We will explore physical, emotional and social impacts of grief and the brain. We will then explore how to help heal the brain after loss.
Understanding how our brains are impacted by grief will hopefully help provide comfort and normalcy to the evolutionary process that is grief. Grief experiences after the loss of a child can feel unbearable. Hopefully an understanding of how grief impacts the brain and options to support your brain will be a small step forward in your healing journey.
Lead by Terri Rask BSW, RSW
This presentation helps partners who have lost a child navigate their grief, understand each other’s unique grieving processes, and strengthen their relationship. Grief after losing a child is a profound, individual experience that can strain relationships if not addressed. Partners can learn how to process emotions and support each other by:
Recognizing Core Emotions: Grief involves primary emotions like sadness (a natural response to loss) and secondary emotions like guilt, anger, or shame, which may mask deeper feelings. Often we react with primary emotions, and can't identify the core emotion that is truly driving our grief.
Acknowledging Differences: Each parent grieves uniquely based on their personality, relationship with the child, and past experiences. One may feel intense sadness, while the other may express anger or withdraw. When we can hold safe space to understand how we process the loss differently, we can better understand our partner, and provide support more effectively.
Fostering Connection: When we can create ways for more vulnerable communication and meaningful understanding to occur, the relationship is strengthened. Connection happens by helping partners share emotions, validate differences, and understanding how to meet each other’s needs
The presentation emphasizes the process required to identify, express, and transform emotions to foster healing and connection. The intent is to plant seeds of hope that partners can lean into one another in new ways that will grow their relationship deeper and promote healing together.
Lead by Meghan Balton, MSW, RSW
Losing a child is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences a parent can face, and navigating the depths of grief—whether alone or with a partner—can feel overwhelming and isolating. But when your journey of mourning expands to include supporting your children through their own grief, it can feel like an impossible mountain to climb. Children grieve in ways that are deeply personal and often different from adults—they hurt, they question, they sometimes retreat or act out, and every emotion is intense and real.
In this raw and compassionate session, we will open our hearts to understand how children typically respond when they lose a sibling—their fears, their confusion, their silent tears. We’ll explore how you, as parents and supports, can become guiding lights amid their darkness, helping to nurture their healing and understanding. We’ll discuss what might hinder their grief—misunderstandings, silence, or misplaced expectations—and how aligning your parenting with empathy and patience can become a sanctuary for your children’s tender hearts.
Grieving rituals—meaningful, heartfelt acts—can serve as powerful anchors, helping children express their love, honor their sibling’s memory, and find comfort in their shared emotions. Together, we can embrace these rituals as vital tools in their journey of healing, offering hope and a guiding hand through the darkest days, toward the possibility of peace and understanding.
Dalyce Mah, MSW, RSW
Perinatal loss can be one of the most profound and life-altering experiences a parent can face. Grief is a natural, individual process with no set timeline. While the pain cannot be erased, healthy coping strategies can provide support, reduce isolation, and promote long-term healing. This group focuses on holistic ways of coping to help parents move alongside grief in their daily life, with emphasis on both mind and body. Participants will learn gentle somatic techniques for regulating the nervous system, and explore meaningful ways of honoring their loss. We will explore flexible coping strategies including mindfulness, self check- ins, and inviting support from others when needed, that foster resilience and support long-term and support long term adjustment in the grieving process.
Event sponsored by the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation and Kidz Castle!
9am - 11am at Kidz Castle
( 714 Circle Dr E, Saskatoon, SK)
Bring your kiddos down to play with others who have experienced the loss of a sibling, at any age or gestation.
11AM - 3pm | come and go | Kinsmen Park
This year marks 11 meaningful years of coming together as a community to honour the little ones gone too soon—and to walk with the families who carry their memory every day.
Whether you've experienced loss yourself or simply want to show your support, your participation helps raise awareness and ensures families don’t walk this journey alone.
This powerful day is filled with hope, connection, and compassion—and your presence makes all the difference.
Register today and be part of something truly meaningful.
Date: Saturday, September 27th, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Come-and-go)
Location: Kinsmen Park (Corner of 25th Street and Kinsmen Ave)
Honor and Remember: Walk in memory of the little ones who have touched our lives.
Raise Awareness: Help us spread the word about the incidence of pregnancy and infant loss. (1 in 4 )
Support Families: Join a compassionate community providing support and understanding.
Special Activities: Enjoy family-friendly activities, face painting, balloon twisting, music, games, and refreshments.
Posters and Banners: Bring your posters and banners to show your support, honour the memory of your little loved one gone too soon, and help us raise awareness.
Memorial Flags: Create memorial flags in memory. These flags will be displayed at the event. You can bring your flag with you on the day of, or drop it off at the Empty Arms office, during one of our scheduled office days, to have it displayed prior to your arrival at the park.
Drop-Offs can occur on the days and hours listed below for order pick-ups.
Early registration is highly encouraged if you would like to order apparel in time for the walk!
Deadline for registrations with shirt, hoodie or hat is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST!!!
Thursday September 25th from 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Friday, September 26th from 9:00AM to 5:00PM
For those coming in from out of town - Saturday, September 27th from 8:30AM to 10:30AM
Apparel is available at regular price on our website—but when you register for the walk, you’ll get exclusive discounted pricing! This special offer is only available through the registration page, so don’t miss out.
*Register by September 1st to have your apparel ready for the September 27th walk!
Help us by collecting pledges! 🎉 NEW THIS YEAR: PLEDGE COLLECTOR LEADERBOARD & PRIZES! We’ll be keeping a live leaderboard of top fundraisers, with incredible prizes for our Top 5 Pledge Collectors! You can download our pledge form here. Pledges of $25 or more are eligible for a tax receipt.
Go the extra mile - become a SPONSOR! Your sponsorship helps grieving families receive the FREE specialized support they need as they honour the memory of their little ones gone too soon, and shows our community that no one walks this journey alone. Sponsorships include benefits. Learn more about becoming a sponsor here .
Whether you are walking to remember a loved one or to support the cause, your presence makes a difference! Spread the word and let's walk together to ensure that no foot is too small to leave an imprint on this world.
We look forward to walking with you!
Join us and other loss parents for a crafty afternoon, making memorial art in loving memories of our sweet babies.
All supplies will be provided.
Space is limited so sign up soon!
Join us for a delightful afternoon filled with creativity and meaningful connection at the Empty Arms office in Saskatoon, featuring the talented Sierra Banwarth.
No prior experience is necessary. We will provide all the necessary materials and supplies, ensuring that everyone can fully engage in the creative process. By the end of the afternoon, you’ll leave with an amazing piece of art, a newfound sense of community, and plenty of cherished memories to share with friends and family.
Space is limited so sign up soon!
March 16th painting
