Community of Dauphin, Man. unites in grief and support after tragic bus crash

The community of Dauphin, Man., came together on Monday to grieve and support each other after the tragic bus crash that ended the lives of fifteen people from the community and severely injured ten others.

Sandra Kaleta lost one of her best friends and she said she knew nearly everyone on board the bus. Kaleta said talking about her grief is helping her cope. “You have to because mental health is so important.”

She told Global News she and her husband Glenn helped tour therapy dogs around local assisted living facilities to help others with their grief. “They have been very receptive to the dogs. We had 36 come out from St. George’s too, you know, pet the dogs to talk to them,” she said.

Glenn said many of those affected are members of Dauphin’s senior’s centre.

Sandra said grief support groups at the centre are also open to the public and a few blocks away, Billy Graham’s Rapid Response Team is offering emotional and spiritual support.

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Co-ordinator Wanda Burchert said on the first day of services Monday they had already met with a few residents who knew the victims personally.

“We recognize that the local resources of the community are not always sufficient to help everybody that’s been impacted, and obviously, Dauphin is a smaller community, and so we just come in to support … anybody in the community.”

The city council is holding a private meeting later Monday night where they will be discussing donations and the legitimacy of online fundraisers and whether the city will organize a public memorial.

“We just don’t know enough to know what’s needed, so we don’t want to, you know, be in people’s faces necessarily. We don’t want to set something up that’s too soon,” said Dauphin mayor David Bosiak.

“So that’s part of our challenge in planning – we don’t really know what to expect. So we’re doing what we think is right, but that may change. It depends on, you know, what happens.”

Meanwhile, Sandra and Glenn said they are getting by, helping others while trying to help themselves and understanding the gravity of the loss. “These are grandparents and great grandparents, and mums and dads, you know, that we’ve lost,” she said.

“It’s open to anyone that wants to come and share any kind of grief that they have.”

“I hope they can feel free to drop by and have a coffee or whatever they want to do with some fellowship,” said Glenn.

— with files from Global’s Rosanna Hempel

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