After more than a decade in a spacious old home coincidentally located on Well Street, Wellspring Stratford – the local not-for-profit support group for people affected by cancer – is preparing to move.
“It’s going to be probably a little emotional for a lot of the volunteers and the members,” long-time manager Lisa Stacey said Friday. “There’s just something that was really nice about having a home.”
Wellspring Stratford, part of a Canada-wide network that includes independent locations in Calgary, Edmonton, Niagara, London, and Toronto, has been operating on Well Street for the past 12 years. With a budget funded completely by donations and sponsorships, Stacey and a group of about a dozen volunteers offer cancer patients and their families non-medical support in areas such as stress management, rehabilitation, education, and financial advice.
Part of the Well Street home’s charm is that it doesn’t resemble the doctor’s offices and other health-care settings cancer patients frequently need to visit. While most of Wellspring’s programs and services have moved online during the pandemic, under normal circumstances its roughly 60 members can find enough space at the home for yoga, art therapy and even two libraries – one with medical information and the other packed with donated novels.
The big drawback, though, is that the home isn’t accessible.
Although Wellspring’s new location in the business park at 55 Lorne Ave. will be smaller, Stacey said a desire to accommodate everyone is a big reason behind the move.
“With an old home, we would have had to do a lot of renovations … to make everything up to code,” she said. “Also, it’s perfect timing. After being closed for two years (due to the pandemic), it’s kind of a fresh start, which will be great.”
Wellspring will begin moving into the new location on May 1. By the end of the month, Stacey said it will be open for one-on-one peer support activities, with others such as meditation and yoga to follow.
Virtual activities that have expanded Wellspring’s reach over the past two years will continue.
“In the new space we’ll have an entertainment system where I’ll be able to do the live classes with people but also have members inside the space as well,” Stacey said.
In the meantime, Stacey said a Saturday yard sale on Well Street will help the group sell all of the items they can’t take with them. Finding new homes for extra furniture, books, handmade crafts and other household items will also bring in some much-needed funds Stacey can put back into programming.
“Our signature fundraisers are what fund us and keep us running, (but) throughout the last two years it’s been really difficult,” Stacey said. “I’m really looking forward to, hopefully, a normal year next year.”
IF YOU GO
What: Wellspring Stratford’s moving/yard sale
Where: 48 Well St., Stratford
When: April 23, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
More info: wellspring.ca/stratford