Finding Grace Documentary Pilot

Finding Grace is a documentary series about the courageous Veterans and First Responders of Newfoundland and Labrador living with PTSD and traumas connected to their service. Working with our host, Veteran Grace Shears, we will travel Newfoundland and Labrador to seek out their firsthand accounts to learn about the tools and coping skills they developed to thrive, not just survive, after their life-changing experiences. Each 30-minute episode features an intimate journey to turn their untold story into a song in honour of their legacy. This series delves deep into the exploration of the nuances of each remarkable story of resilience.

This project aims to highlight the use of peer support and music to promote health and wellness within the public service sector. With this Gofundme campaign, our goal is to match the funds that we have raised through successful applications to ArtsNL and the City of St. John's, to fund the shooting and editing of our pilot episode. With the help of donors, the team plans to start shooting on July 18, 2023, and complete the pilot episode by early Fall. Any help is much appreciated, no donation is too small to help. For donations over $25, a charitable receipt is available, upon request to us at info@finding-grace.ca

We are proud to announce that we have aligned with a local registered charity and it is our strategy is to use the pilot along with this partnership to attract the remaining funding through public and private investment, to complete the remaining 5 episodes of the first season by the end of 2023.

Using creative strategies to deal with the daily challenges associated with living in the aftermath of trauma, Finding Grace aims to build a strong community of support for the Veterans and First Responders in Newfoundland and Labrador through caring, sharing, music, and songwriting.

In our season pilot, our host, Canadian Forces Veteran Grace Shears shares how music has been a huge part of her healing journey of living with PTSD and the emotional growth she is experiencing through music and the recording of her first album. We start with Grace’s story of a servicewoman working in the public service sector. The pilot will introduce her story of living and coping, who she is, and what the future holds in store for her. Through the story, the audience will learn about the strategies and tools that Grace has used to deal with her challenges.

From there, the remainder of the series will focus on one guest per show, getting to know them intimately through Grace’s interaction with them in a series of interviews and activities drawn from the guest's interests. Arriving in their hometown, we will learn how these courageous Veterans and First Responders have developed on their journey. Each unique story will explore the ways these individuals learned to thrive rather than survive. Along the way, Grace and the team, including music producer Kalem Mahoney and director Ruth Lawrence, will work together to spin their stories into song in honour of their legacy.

As songwriters, we are excited to team up in this project to integrate their passion for music with the healing journey. This project will showcase music and song as tools to promote health and wellness, building on each person’s strategies for dealing with the daily challenges associated with living in the aftermath of trauma. It’s our goal to help build a stronger community of support for Veterans and First Responders in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our mission is to connect them with a safe and inclusive community of like-minded people, all while using songwriting and music as the conduit towards healing.

With a primary focus that highlights the healing journey of PTSD and traumas through the universal language of music, Finding Grace is a heartwarming pilgrimage filled with hope.