What's New
Room 217 would like to share all the exciting developments with you as its music resources reach around the world. Stay tuned!
February 2012 - SIGN UP NOW for Bev's 3 week online course Music Care for the Dying - Visit www.lifeanddeathmatters.ca to register.
October 22, 2011 - Come to the Music Care Conference in Waterloo!
October 1, 2011 - The Music Care Resource Guide is now available.
September 1, 2011 - Room 217 has a new catalogue. Check it out here.
April 10, 2011 - NEW OLD CHESTNUTS CD LAUNCH! Old Chestnuts will take you back, to those good old days. Maybe these nostalgic songs were popular when you were young or maybe your parents sang you these songs when you were growing up.
February 25, 2011 - Check out Bev Foster's online education course in partnership with Life & Death Matters, Title - Music Care: Caring for the Dying With Music, Length: 3 weeks, Course Calendar (page 3), more info REGISTER NOW!
January 31, 2011 - Launch of Music Care Blog
January 12, 2011 - Attention long term care providers – an exciting opportunity for 20 facilities to be part of a product development study for Room 217’s new therapeutic singalong DVD series. The research is being conducted by the University of Windsor and the primary investigator is Dr. Amy Clements-Cortes. more info
November 17, 2010 - The Ontario Trillium Foundation is seeking young people of all backgrounds to join its Grant Review Teams. more info
November 15, 2010 - The Room 217 Foundation's 2009 and 2010 Companions will be honoured at a November 30th dinner and light evening program including special guest musicians.
November 6, 2010 - What a pleasure it was to be together with so many of you in Waterloo at the Music Care Conference! We are still revelling in the depths of Gerard Yun's shokahachi flute sounds, Dan Hill's rendition of Sometimes When We Touch and in observing Deforia Lane's giftedness in working with music in a therapeutic context. During the Beethoven the the Penderecki String Quartet played, our breathing became deeper and our bodies relaxed. Inshallah made us smile and move. The day evoked such a variety of responses. We will share some of your feedback in the upcoming edition of Doorway to Room 217!
November 6, 2010 - Join us in welcoming Melanie Gaertner Riley, CFRE to our team! Melanie begins today as the Room 217 Director of Development and will help to build a new measure of financial sustainability into the Room 217 Foundation.
October 21, 2010 - NEW COUNTRY ROAD CD LAUNCH! A timeless collection of old and new country songs. These classic country tunes evoke memories and associations with people, places and events and provide a rich legacy of human stories. Anchored in the guitar strings and sensibilities of Jason Fowler, Anne Lindsay provides the fiddle melodies while Burke Carroll enhances the breadth of sound with pedal steel guitar and dobro. Country Road will take you to that place of belonging, the place called home.
October 20, 2010 - Check out the Canadian Association on Gerontology's 39th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting, Spotlight on Integration of Knowledge and Practice, December 2-4, 2010, Montreal, QC. Register Now at www.cagacg.ca
September 14, 2010 - Recording sessions begin today for the Country Road CD! This is the second of six new albums in Volume 2 of Room 217's therapeutic music resource lineup. Wait til you hear Jason Fowler on guitar, Anne Lindsay on violin and Burke Carroll on steel guitar!
Living Longer, Living Better - Get plugged into FICCDAT! - Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology (FICCDAT) - Six conferences for the price of one! June 5-8, 2011, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Find out more. Visit www.ficcdat.ca
August 9, 2010 - ROOM 217 IS HIRING - Seeking a Director of Development to focus on developing relationships and acquiring donations for program support. more info
July 27, 2010 - GREAT NEWS! Today the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) announced that 448 not-for-profit and charitable organizations in Ontario will receive funding. Helen Burstyn, Chair of the OTF Board of Directors, said that many of the latest grants will support new collaborations and innovative partnerships between local organizations that will help them tackle shared challenges or address common community needs. Room 217 has received funding over two years to hire a part-time development coordinator and support volunteer recruitment!
April 27, 2010 - Congratulations to Glennda Kaufmann, Environmental Services Supervisor, People Care Tavistock Inc.! Glennda won the Room 217 Exhibit Draw for a portable DVD player, a Room 217 Recollections DVD and Room 217's newest CD, Peaceful Presence at the OLTCA/ORCA Convention and Tradeshow, in Toronto, Ontario.
April 20, 2010 - Congratulations to Shirley Dinsmore, Executive Director, Huron Hospice Volunteer Service! Shirley won the Room 217 Exhibit Draw for a portable DVD player, a Room 217 Recollections DVD and Room 217's newest CD, Peaceful Presence at the Ontario Hospice Palliative Care Conference in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
April 19, 2010 - NEW! Album 7 in the Room 217 Collection of therapeutic music resources is now available. Peaceful Presence has been especially produced for eldercare with inspirational Christian songs. Dan Warren's mellow tone on the flugelhorn is compelling and Bev Foster's keyboard colors create a warm reflective mood. Peaceful Presence is the first CD in the coming selection of six CDs that will comprise Volume 2 of the Room 217 Collection.
March 15-17, 2010 - Recording sessions begin for the Peaceful Presence Album! This is the first of six new albums in Volume 2 of Room 217's therapeutic music resource lineup.
NEW! Online Training with Bev Foster Music Care: caring for the dying person with music. Starts February 25, 2010. LDMOnline
December 16, 2009 - With your help, Room 217 Foundation's Music Care Conference Idea has made it into the final judging round of the Aviva Community Fund contest along with 24 other ideas from across Canada! Thank you for your help! A special thanks to those of you who made comments. We were encouraged by the genuine acknowledgement that this idea would have deep and wide impact across the country in such a variety of sectors. The judging will take place from December 17th through January 25th. You may still view our idea. We'll keep you posted.
December 4, 2009 - We're off to a great start. But you can see how quickly things change in this contest. That's why your consistent, daily support is so greatly appreciated.
November 16, 2009 - We did it! Room 217 Foundation's Music Care Conference idea made it to the semi-finals. Thank you for being in it with us - this has been a rewarding team effort. We're pausing for a moment to catch our breath and begin strategic preparation for the next round which runs from December 2nd through December 16th. We will certainly be thankful for your continuing support then!
November 6, 2009 - We sure appreciate your help in promoting the Music Care Conference idea in the Aviva contest! We are currently ranked 14th out of more than 1,000 ideas - but we have to stay in the top 20 to qualify for the semi-finals. We are boldly asking you to help us double the current voters for this idea today! If each of us gets 1 more person to commit to vote daily, we will build some serious momentum and stay in contention. 11 days left! VOTE NO
November 2, 2009 - Today, the Room 217 Foundation submitted an idea to the Aviva Community Fund, a competion that you may have seen advertised on TV. If our idea receives enough votes, it will have a chance at sharing in $500,000 to bring it to life. We would really appreciate your help in pushing our idea for a Music Care Conference to the finals. The cool thing is you can vote once a day per email address. Can we get your help? Time is of the essence - only 13 days left! Please pass this information along to others who may be able to help us. Please vote!
ANNOUNCEMENT - In 2008, the Room 217 Foundation not-for-profit corporation was established and in April 2009 became a registered Canadian Charity. This was a natural next step in the unfolding story and allows the Room 217 vision for music and care to grow. It also provides an opportunity for our supporters to help.
June 2009 - Recollections™, a companion DVD featuring 61 minutes of tranquil images accompanied by the gentle music of Room 217's Classic Comfort CD is now available. This dual sensory stimulation is paced at a slower tempo to provide an opportunity for pleasure, connection, reminiscence, review, storytelling, comfort, and therapeutic support along life's journey. Order Now!
AWARD Christine Lasky, vice president of strategic initiatives at the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and a Director of the Room 217 Foundation Board, oversees the major mass marketing programs at the PMHF. The 2008 GOLD Canadian Marketing Association Award, Fundraising/Non-Profit/Public Service Category, was awarded to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation for its Ride to Conquer Cancer Campaign.
May 2008 - Room 217 MP3 Downloads are now available from iTunes and CD Baby.com
November 4, 2007 - The Room 217 Box Set, Volume 1 is launched at the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Conference in Toronto, Ontario. The release of two new CDs in October 2007 brings the Room 217 library of therapeutic music resources to six. Warm Breezes recaptures popular favorites from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s while Classic Comfort is comprised of some of the greatest piano music ever written.
October 29, 2007 - Room 217 tackles Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in Issue 5, its first thematic edition, of DOORWAY to Room 217.
October 12, 2007 - Room 217's Interactive Website Renovation goes live! The response is immediate and positive.
July 2007 - AVISO Issue Fifty-three, welcomes Room 217 CDs to the new CHPCA On-Line Marketplace. Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association members discount available. Visit www.market-marche.chpca.net
March 2007 - Radio Mike Award, MOR Female Artist - Canada, Central & South America (Category: MOR-Middle of the Road or Easy Listening)
November 15, 2006 - Hugs & Kisses, the fourth CD in the Room 217 series, was released. It is a blend of voice, piano and bells especially for children, their families and caregivers.
October 3, 2006 - DOORWAY to Room 217, Issue 2 was delivered to enewsletter subscribers.
September 12, 2006 - Room 217 Gentle Waters received a Covenant Award nomination for Best Instrumental Album of the Year
March 23, 2006 - DOORWAY to Room 217 an enewsletter resource for those interested in music and end of life care was launched. To sign up, let us know at info@room217.ca.
March 4, 2006 - Bev Foster was the recipient of the Leading Women's Award for Arts Culture and Sports given for distinctive achievement in expression, development, preservation or patronage of the visual, literary or performing arts.
November 30, 2005 - Bev Foster was nominated for a Leading Women Award in the Arts, Culture and Sports category.
October 6, 2005 - The first 3 CDs in the Room 217 series, Spirit Wings, Gentle Waters and Celtic Whisperings were launched at Wellesley Central Place in Toronto.
September 22, 2005 - Room 217 Spirit Wings was nominated for a Covenant Award for best instrumental album.