Julien’s House opens new Nick Dyer Clubhouse to offer peer-to-peer grief support

A ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of a new grief support centre on Baseline Road in Windsor marked a bittersweet moment for many at Julien’s House Friday morning.

The centre was made possible thanks to a $147,800 capital grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) that was used to transform an unusable space into a vibrant community hub now called the Nick Dyer Clubhouse, in honour of the 16-year-old LaSalle teen who died following a car crash in Amherstburg in 2017.

“It means so much to me and I know that it would mean so much to him too,” said sister Kaitlyn Dyer. “He was such a forgiving person and inclusive person so to have something that showcases how inclusive he was for his legacy, that's amazing.”

Dyer explained, “It's been seven years and there's not a day that goes by where I don't think of him, but it still makes it so much more real that he's gone.”

“It gives me a lot of comfort that no one will really have to feel how I felt in the beginning of my grieving journey, that there's a place for people to have that discussion,” she added.

The newly revealed multi-purpose building will become the new and permanent home of Julien’s House peer-to-peer grief support programs that will be used to improve the programs and services currently running.

Julien’s House opens new Nick Dyer Clubhouse on Baseline Road in Windsor on April 26, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

“Christine and Germain Gaudet’s legacy to families just like theirs has brought love and warmth to those who are grieving from loss,” said Andrew Dowie, MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh in a release. “On behalf of Premier Doug Ford and Minister Neil Lumsden, I am proud that our government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Grant of $147,800 to Julien’s House will help countless Windsor-Essex families who are also missing their loved ones chart a path forward in their honour.”

Julien’s House has been operating in various locations throughout Windsor-Essex until they could finally settle in at their location on Baseline Road.

Since Julien Gaudet’s family donated Julien’s family home in 2021, much work has to be done to prepare the property.

“This is an important moment for our charity and the community. We’ve waited a long time for this. We can finally offer services at home,” stated Laura Kay, executive director of Julien’s House. “We are grateful to our donors and the Ontario Trillium Foundation for helping us with much-needed funding.”

The mission of Julien’s House is to support, educate, and companion individuals through their grief experience. Services offer a welcoming place where people affected by a loved one's death can come for compassion and support throughout their personal journey.

This May, Julien’s House will launch the ‘Share Their Name’ campaign to educate people on grief and how individuals can support bereaved families by talking about their loved ones who have passed. Individuals and families are invited to purchase a lawn-sign in memory of their loved one.

Julien’s House opens new Nick Dyer Clubhouse on Baseline Road in Windsor on April 26, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

“Non-profit organizations across Ontario deliver programming that makes a difference,” said Neil Lumsden, minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “That’s why funding that my ministry is providing through the OTF is so important. Our government wants to ensure that these programs and spaces remain the heart of communities across our province.”

The OTF’s mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships.

“It is such a huge day, not only for Julien's House, but for Windsor and Essex,” exclaimed Alicia Higgison, president of the board of directors. “Having grief support is such a huge piece of the kind of mental health, holistic things that we're looking at. We know over the last few years, all the loss that our community has come across, it's been happening to families and we want to be able to provide a place for everybody to be able to come and share together and companion together with people that understand what you're going through.”

Higgison continued, “It's really heartwarming to see. Bittersweet of course, when we're celebrating the lives of people that we've lost, but it's times like these where we remember the impact and are able to celebrate that impact.”

“It really is that feeling of, ‘How do we make people feel at home,’ and when you're dealing with things like grief and like bereavement, it's really hard for people to open up,” she added. “Having a space where we can welcome people into a place that they trust with people that they trust is a really big deal.”