Based in Cambridge, Ontario, and serving individuals affected by bereavement as they navigate the often-lonely grieving process, the COPING Centre is an organization that is near and dear to my heart. Named COPING as an acronym for its mission of Caring for Other People in Grief, this organization first came to my attention during August 2022 at the large and very popular Bothwell, Ontario Car Show, hosted by the Bothwell Optimist Club and Old Autos each August.
A couple of years ago, I visited the COPING Centre tent at Bothwell and purchased a raffle ticket on a brand-new ‘C8’ Corvette, supplied via Leggat GM of Burlington. The Centre’s co-founder, Glenn Crichton, was unusually patient and kind, fielding my questions about the car and sharing the COPING Centre’s mission with me, while handling the steady stream of showgoers checking out the Grand Prize Corvette and selling tickets.
While clearly stunned by the aggressive and unforgettable styling of the latest ‘Vette, I was more impacted by the story of how the COPING Centre was founded and continues today, including how ticket sales on this modern Corvette supercar help deliver the Centre’s many vital programs and services, including funding for bereaved kids aged 5 and over to attend a summer adventure camp. There, they can share fun and unforgettable outdoor experiences with other kids going through the same and often difficult grieving process. By meeting other kids who are going through grief and loss, they can forge bonds that will help them discover they are never truly alone.
While I haven’t won the Corvette yet, that’s a distant second in importance to the satisfaction gained from helping the COPING Centre cover the full cost for kids to enjoy the full summer camp experience and the purchasing of necessary equipment for the adventure camp. It doesn’t stop there. Funds raised from the Corvette Raffle also help cover the costs of the COPING Centre’s many vital programs, including its group programs, delivered by trained volunteers and professional therapists.
Several vital COPING Centre programs are offered, including a unique closed group support program for all ages with sessions in the spring and fall, and dedicated support groups available for those who have lost a loved one by suicide, for parents who have lost a child, and widows. Widows’ retreats and a special program for members of U18 sports teams are also part of the COPING Centre’s many targeted supports. It should be noted that all of the COPING Centre’s programs run at no cost to the participants, thanks to the contributions made by the organization’s generous donors and its worthy fundraising activities.
As the springtime car show roster began unfolding this year, I saw the COPING Corvette for 2026 at a recent car show hosted by the Western Ontario Corvette Club at the Lambeth Legion, just on the southwestern edge of London. I’d also love to thank the Corvette Club members for putting on such a fun, friendly, and relaxed show. I’d also like to extend my thanks to the Lambeth Legion for their kind hospitality to all in attendance.
After seeing Glenn Crichton there, who co-founded the COPING Centre with his wife Roslyn, I learned how the couple lost their young daughter, Rachele, to leukemia just five days after diagnosis. The year was 1982, when bereavement was understood very little, with relatively limited support, counselling expertise, and service delivery available. Those suffering such a tragedy may have had family or church support to some extent, but truly structured counselling as a discipline and practice was still in its infancy at the time.
Sooner or later, we’re all touched by the inevitability of bereavement, and our family’s turn came when we lost my dear dad at age 48 after nearly two years of advanced heart disease and seemingly countless hospital stays in 1982 – the same year Mr. and Mrs. Crichton lost their daughter. Dealing – or not – with my dad’s worsening health before his eventual passing was mostly a constant struggle to hope for the best, while expecting the worst, and even though I knew my dad would surely pass away within a short timeframe, it was still a shock when the end finally came.
I really didn’t know how to process my grief and emotions, pushing down the pain and trying to “get over it.” A couple of years later, grief counselling came to our church, and while it would have surely helped me through that dark tunnel, I resisted help. School, friends, post-secondary school, and daily life patched things over a bit, but looking back, I know that proper grief counselling would have helped me make the journey through it faster. Bless her, my mom suggested that I participate in a grief group at our family’s church, but I was hesitant and never accepted the invitation. I was going to do it all on my own. A truly bad idea, realized after nearly 44 years of reflection.
In 1990, the Crichton family turned their tragedy into decades of priceless service by establishing the COPING Centre in Cambridge, Ontario. Their mission is to offer help and support to those who need it at no cost to its participants. Eventually, the Crichtons’ son, Adam, and his wife, Fiona, joined Glenn and Roslyn to continue this tradition of delivering the COPING Centre’s vital programs and handling the many duties and details associated with its day-to-day operations. Their other son, Tim, assists with the Adventure Camp with his wife, Jennifer, also helping to deliver COPING’s programs. One thing I have learned is that you do not have to go it alone, and I am glad that the COPING Centre and its services are readily available, thanks to the tireless work of the Crichton Family and their volunteer force.
Recently, I had a wonderful call with Adam Crichton to discuss the work of the COPING Centre, and how, as a professional writer and lifelong “car guy,” I might be able to help them with editorial and the Corvette raffle as the spring car show circuit progresses into summertime. Eleven community events and car shows remain on the COPING Centre’s Corvette Raffle calendar, with the next being the 2026 edition of the annual Vettefest show on July 3rd and 4th in beautiful Bayfield, Ontario, near Grand Bend.
In the meantime, eligible purchasers can access COPING Centre’s ticket website at www.copingcorvette.fun for online purchases. In addition to the Corvette, each ticket entry makes you eligible for the 50/50 draw and other great prizes. If you would like to learn more about the COPING Centre and its vital services, please visit www.copingcentre.com.
*Please note that due to Provincial regulations, ticket sales are restricted to Ontario residents purchasing in Ontario.
Enjoy this gallery of images of the COPING Centre’s 2026 Chevrolet Corvette:
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