Helping Our Precious Pediatrics (HOPP)

Encouraging quality time and experiences for families

There are only 60 palliative care beds in all of Canada dedicated to a dying child.

When an adult is facing death, one person struggles to not be defined by their illness. When it is a child, their entire family struggles to not have the illness define them.

About Helping Our Precious Pediatrics (HOPP)

A child's curiosity, desire for accomplishment and sense of enjoyment transcends even the most life-limiting prognosis. HOPP journeys with a family along the path of their child's illness to help maintain a sense of normalcy by providing opportunities for bonding experiences as well as compassionate care and grief support.

For parents with an ill child, the fear and guilt associated with leaving their child in the care of another can be paralyzing. HOPP makes it possible for parents to give themselves much-needed respite.

Get Involved

Volunteer

Make a difference in the lives of sick kids and their families by becoming a HOPP volunteer in your community. We provide on-going support for all our volunteers.

Join our HOPP Program Team and help build the capacity of this program including volunteer engagement, community outreach, agency partnerships and financial sustainability.

Complete your Post Secondary Education as our Program Manager. Ideally suited for someone currently enrolled in a Social Worker, Social Service Worker or Community Worker Program.

Join the Moonlit Memory Walk

Help us raise money for the HOPP program by joining our Moonlit Memory Walk, and celebrate the lives of parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and colleagues who have died. We also honour loved ones lost before, during, or after a pregnancy, the memory of pets that are no longer with us, and those who donated life-saving organs to others.

Partner

Have you identified a gap in how your community / agency / organization approaches support for sick children and their families? If the answer is yes, then we want to partner with you. Visit our Community Partnerships Page to learn more.

Support our fundraising efforts as a corporate or event sponsor and help us raise awareness of this important program.

How HOPP Helps

HOPP Family Day

HOPP Family Day is the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. It gives children with a life-limiting illness, as well as their siblings and parents, the opportunity to have some fun. Through this initiative, the HOPP program organizes family outings and experiences to help everyone relax and enjoy spending time together.

All HOPP Family Day activities are fully subsidized, allowing all families to benefit from this program regardless of their financial situations.

HOPP Academy

While a child is on their treatment journey, it’s likely that they aren’t able to regularly attend school. At HOPP Academy, children can experience a structured school-like learning environment, and parents can rest easy knowing their child is safe and having fun.

Drawing on some of the concepts developed for our Experiential Day Hospice, HOPP Academy is a day program that offers children with a life-limiting illness the chance for social interaction and learning in a fun and supportive way. It also helps parents to develop homeschooling plans.

HOPP at Home

Your child is ill and requires around the clock care… but how can you care for your child at the level they need if you yourself aren’t cared for? HOPP at Home allows you to take a little time - however brief that may be - for yourself, knowing that your child is safe and in good hands. As trust builds between parents and our HOPP Compassionate Caregivers and Death Doulas, the family can take progressively longer breaks and get some much-needed rest.

If you need support or would like to inquire about HOPP services in your area, please contact us at info@homehospiceassociation.com

Your donation can make a world of difference, offering hope, strength, and resilience to families navigating unimaginable circumstances. Let's ensure that children living with a terminal diagnosis can experience the wonder of the moment and make memories that will transcend time.

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Our Partners

We are incredibly thankful for the meaningful collaboration and generous support of our partners:

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