Preserving Canada’s Stories: Why Beechwood Needs You This Giving Tuesday

As Canadians come together for Giving Tuesday, we are reminded of the responsibility we share to honour our past, support our present, and safeguard our future. At Beechwood Cemetery, Canada’s National Cemetery, this responsibility takes on a profound meaning.

Stretching across 160 acres of historic, ecological, and cultural significance, Beechwood is a living testament to the people, stories, and sacrifices that built our country. And in 2025, our mission has never been more important.

Beechwood: A National Landscape of Memory and Meaning

Beechwood is more than a place of rest. It is a national institution where remembrance, education, environmental stewardship, and community service converge. Every pathway tells a story. Every tree marks a moment in time. Every ceremony invites Canadians to remember not just who we were, but who we aspire to be.

From veterans and trailblazers to immigrant families and community leaders, Beechwood holds the stories of generations of Canadians whose legacies continue to shape our national identity. These stories deserve to be protected, preserved, and shared.

Your support this Giving Tuesday ensures that they are. Your Impact Fuels Transformative Work.

In 2026, Beechwood is expanding its programs more than ever before. Your contribution empowers us to deliver impactful initiatives that serve families, youth, communities, and the environment.

Honouring Nature and Protecting the Environment Beechwood’s grounds are a living green space at the heart of Canada’s capital:

• The Beechwood Arboretum Project : A national living collection of heritage trees that deepens the link between remembrance, nature, and our shared story.
• Urban Macoun Marsh Environmental Restoration :  A major 2025-2026 initiative restoring a fragile wetland ecosystem, expanding protected habitat, and renewing one of Ottawa’s most unique urban nature sites.

Educating the Next Generation Beechwood remains committed to ensuring that young Canadians understand the sacrifices and achievements of those who came before them.

• Expanded free historical and themed tours
• New school programs and youth-engagement activities
• No Stone Left Alone ceremonies, where students place poppies at military graves to ensure every soldier is remembered
• National Day of Service and Headstone Cleaning Day, bringing volunteers and families together to care for the resting places of Canadian Forces members

These programs ensure that remembrance and education remain active, lived experiences, not distant concepts.

Honouring Canadian Legacy & Strengthening Civic Pride

Beechwood’s role as a steward of national memory continues to grow in 2025:

• The Great Canadian Plaques Program Recognizing Canadians who shaped our national story.
• Under the Maple Leaf – Respecting the Canadian Flag Our new national program providing Canadians with a dignified, respectful way to retire their worn flags. Through ceremony and education, this initiative deepens understanding of citizenship, pride, and remembrance.

Providing Compassion, Comfort & Healing Beechwood is also a centre of care, connection, and healing.

• Grief and bereavement programming, including the Butterfly Remembrance Service and Candlelight Service
• Support for families navigating grief, offering spaces for reflection, ceremony, and community
• Arts and cultural initiatives, including Chamberfest’s adaptive concerts, which bring comfort, beauty, and resilience into our spaces These programs ensure that Beechwood remains a place where history and humanity meet.

Why Your Giving Tuesday Gift Matters Beechwood’s impact is national.

Our responsibility is immense. And our programming continues to grow in scope and significance. Your support ensures that:

• Our historical and cultural landmarks remain preserved
• Our environmental stewardship thrives
• Our remembrance and educational programming expands
•  Our grief support programs continue to uplift families
• Our national initiatives, like Under the Maple Leaf, reach more Canadians
• Beechwood remains a place of honour, peace, and connection for generations Your gift protects what must never be forgotten.

Help Us Protect Canada’s Legacy

This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to make a meaningful contribution to the Beechwood Cemetery Foundation. Every gift, large or small, creates immediate impact and strengthens Beechwood’s mission as the National Cemetery of Canada. Your generosity preserves stories.

It sustains remembrance. It protects nature. It supports families. It inspires the future. Donate today.

Together, we can keep Canada’s stories alive.