Let your words be carried with the wind...
The Town of Newmarket partnered with Oasis – Centre for Bereavement and Healing to install a Wind Phone along the Tom Taylor Trail to help those in the community who are grieving. The Wind Phone is located along the Tom Taylor Trail between Andrew Street and William Street.
The Wind Phone is a symbol of remembrance and respect for those who have passed away. It helps promote a sense of community bonding and encourages open dialogue about grief and loss.
About the Wind Phone Concept
A wind phone is a concept that was originally founded by Itaru Sasaki in Japan. The phone is unconnected and gives those who are grieving a space to talk and feel connected to their loved ones. Sasaki used the wind phone as an outlet when his cousin passed away due to cancer. He found comfort in talking to his cousin through the phone and even welcomed others who were mourning to talk and find comfort as well.
About Oasis - Centre for Breavement and Healing
The Town of Newmarket is partnering with Oasis: A Centre for Bereavement and Healing to introduce the Wind Phone concept to the community. Oasis’s goal is to establish Wind Phones in natural, peaceful public-access settings across York Region. This will be Oasis’s second Wind Phone installation in York Region, the first installed in Keswick Cemetery in 2023. Additional Wind Phones are in planning throughout the region.
The Wind Phone originated in Japan from garden designer Itaru Sasaki as he mourned the death of his cousin. The unconnected rotary style phone was a way for Sasaki to communicate his thoughts and feelings to his late cousin over the wind.
The concept caught on across the world as cultures embrace the value of grieving in the healing process following the death of a loved one. There are Wind Phone installations in Asia, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and many in North America. Each Wind Phone installation is unique and offers peace and solitude for the caller to connect on a spiritual level with loved ones who are gone.
Oasis is a volunteer-run charitable organization offering an online resource hub serving York Region. Oasis’s mission is to help all members of the York Region community navigate their grief journey by providing a central network of safe and valuable resources and support.
Learn more about Oasis: A Centre for Bereavement and Healing and the Wind Phone program at their website.
