Connecting for Caring in Ottawa

An evening of stories, music, creative expression and conversation celebrating caring as love in action at the National Arts Centre. Connecting for Caring is an evening of stories, poetry, music and shared conversation that explores caring not only as something private or personal, but as something that shapes our communities and our shared lives as Canadians. It asks the question: What would it mean to become a country that recognizes and strengthens our capacity to care for one another? Connecting for Caring is based on the book Courage to Care: Ripples of Love in Action a curated collection of more than 160 stories, poems, photographs, artwork and other creative expressions that reveal the many ways Canadians care for one another. The book explores caring as ethical scaffolding — as a force that binds us together and as love in action. Caring can be messy, tough and unyielding, with no guarantees of ending well. Yet at the same time, it can be full of blessings, radiance and grace. Courage to Care reflects a broad community of care: family members, friends, neighbours and professional supporters of older adults, disabled people, children and youth at risk, people living with mental illness, dementia, long-term illness, addictions and homelessness, and those receiving long-term, hospice or palliative care. It also includes caring from the perspective of Indigenous people. Early reviews suggest the book is an idea whose time has come — an antidote to fear, despair and polarization. The gathering is part of a growing national conversation with four simple intentions: to let people giving and receiving care know they are not alone; to honour caring with beauty; to weave our caring together; and to make support for caring a provincial and national priority. Come listen, reflect, meet others and add your own story to the conversation. Because caring may be personal, but none of us does it alone. We are grateful to the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, a program of the Azrieli Foundation Canada, and other funders and partners whose support has helped make this gathering possible.