Centrica Care Navigators

12/15/2025

Our Community Partner Liaisons had a great time bringing Christmas cheer last week! We attended an Ugly Sweater Contest at Brookdale Portage – Assisted Living and got festive at our Lunch and Learn sponsored by Alamo Cove Rehab & Nursing Center at Shades of Lavender Farm in Mattawan. We were thrilled to connect with the staff at North Woods Village of Kalamazoo as well!

Thanks to all who shared in the fun!

12/12/2025

𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 “𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟” 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐭 GilChrist 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫— 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫.

The retreat was facilitated by Jill Terwilliger, M.Div., CPCC, Grief Support Counselor with Centrica and Kim Critz, AVP Marketing and Communications for the NorthStar Care Community.

Over the course of three days, 18 attendees ages 37 - 83 came together to share stories of loss, find connection, and explore new ways of holding both the pain and the love that grief brings.

Guided by David Kessler’s Six Needs of the Grieving, the retreat offered space to:

• Have their pain witnessed
• Express emotions through storytelling and letter writing
• Release guilt and old wounds
• Integrate memory, love, and meaning
• Create symbols of healing
• Imagine life after loss

From walking the labyrinth to burning letters of release, crafting clay memorials, experiencing live music by Ellis & M.E. while painting emotions and memories, and creating personal Soul Maps, each moment invited reflection, courage, and companionship.

We are grateful to every participant who showed up with honesty and heart — and to our Centrica grief support team for creating a safe and transformative space.

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧- 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘥” 𝘧𝘰𝘳 18 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭--𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:
https://gilchristretreatcenter.org/events/seasoning-grief-a-retreat-to-savor-and-soften-your-grief-s...

Join a waitlist for the next Grief Retreat:
https://form.jotform.com/253444841429158

12/12/2025

🚶🏾‍♂️Grief Walkers is one of our ongoing drop-in social support grief groups. This is an opportunity for walkers to make connections with others and grow around grief. All are welcome! Info below:

Our next Walking Through Grief will be this coming Sunday, December 14th at 2pm at the Portage Creek Bicentennial Trail park at 910 E Milham Ave, Portage, MI 49002. I'll meet you under the (very small) picnic shelter. We’ll have a brief gathering conversation, then walk for 30-40 minutes, and then a concluding reflection.

PLEASE READ BELOW FOR AN UPDATE

We will be at the trailhead picnic shelter, rain, snow, or shine. The forecast for this Sunday is 24F and cloudy. The path is plowed, but grippers on your shoes might be good if it's icy.

If you let us know you are planning to join, we'll be sure to wait for you. You can let us know you're coming by signing up at CentricaCare.org/event/walking-through-grief/2025-12-14/

12/02/2025

Today is Giving Tuesday. Your support helps us provide compassionate hospice and palliative care to families throughout Southwest Michigan. Give the gift of comfort today.
🧡 CentricaCare.org/giving/

12/01/2025

Join us for our grief support groups this December. All are welcome. Questions? Call us any time at 269.345.0273.
CentricaCare.org/family-support/grief-support/

OutFront Grief Circle
2

Grief Connection
3 & 17

Men’s Group
3, 10, 17

Coping with the Holidays
4 (South Haven)

Journeys
9

Walking Through Grief
14

11/27/2025

This Thanksgiving, we’re celebrating the community that makes compassionate care possible.

To our remarkable team, our devoted volunteers, the families who trust us, and the neighbors who support our mission—we’re grateful for you today and every day. Your kindness helps us walk beside people through some of life’s most challenging chapters. 🍂🧡

Wishing you a holiday filled with comfort and gratitude.

11/25/2025

🎁 Unwrapping Our Gratitude for Our Amazing Volunteers!

We recently celebrated our incredible volunteers at our annual appreciation event held at our Kalamazoo headquarters — and what a turnout! Over 50 volunteers joined us for an evening filled with connection, celebration, and heartfelt thanks.

Our volunteers are the heartbeat of our mission, offering comfort, compassion, and support to patients and families across our community. We are so grateful for every hour, every smile, and every act of kindness you share. 🧡

Want to make a meaningful difference in your community?
✨ Join our team of volunteers!
Learn more and sign up at CentricaCare.org/volunteer.

11/19/2025

This November, during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, we honor the extraordinary caregivers who walk beside patients and families through some of life’s most meaningful moments.

At Centrica Care Navigators, we proudly embrace this year’s theme: — because every person’s story, values, and relationships matter.

Every month, we try to share resources, patient and caregiver stories, and ways our community can better understand whole-person care.

Join us in spreading the message that compassion, dignity, and presence make all the difference. 🧡

Learn more about our services at CentricaCare.org

11/18/2025

Join us in South Haven for our annual Coping with the Holidays grief support event.

Come together in a warm and welcoming setting to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. Together, we’ll share meaningful ways to find comfort and cope during the holiday season.

🎶 Our music therapist will guide a soothing session designed to bring peace and reflection through the healing power of music. You’ll also have the opportunity to create a keepsake ornament to treasure with your family.

Made possible in part by the South Haven Area Community Foundation.

📅 December 4
🕰️ 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
📍 Memorial Library
314 Broadway St.
South Haven, MI 49090

11/14/2025

Join us in South Haven for our annual Coping with the Holidays grief support event.

Come together in a warm and welcoming setting to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. Together, we’ll share meaningful ways to find comfort and cope during the holiday season.

🎶 Our music therapist will guide a soothing session designed to bring peace and reflection through the healing power of music. You’ll also have the opportunity to create a keepsake ornament to treasure with your family.

📅 December 4
🕰️ 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
📍 Memorial Library
314 Broadway St.
South Haven, MI 49090

11/13/2025

Did you see us on News Channel 3 WWMT TV? Centrica is seeking to expand its ranks of veteran volunteers in and around Kalamazoo County.

One of our veteran volunteers, Colonel Frank Walker, said in the piece, "We have shared experiences that we can't even fathom to share with those that don't understand being away from your family for a year and a half, being in a foreign country, defending your nation."

If you're a veteran and would like to make a huge impact in a fellow vet's life, consider volunteering with us! Head to our website to sign up now.

Watch the segment from News Channel 3 here!

A local hospice care service is looking for veteran volunteers to serve as companions for veterans in hospice care.

11/12/2025

💐 We'd like to recognize and thank Daniel Armendariz from Garden Spot Greenhouse, located in Portage, MI, who brought kindness and cheer to our Rose Arbor Place with a donation of beautiful chrysanthemums.

Everyone's favorite autumn flower, these mums really brighten everyone's day at Rose Arbor Place!