Greetings from the Executive Director
 

Hello everyone,

We are delighted to provide our Summer edition of our WithinReach newsletter.

What a difference a few months make in terms of weather! On April 10th, we held our successful 31st Annual RUN FOR REACH with ice on the ground and caps on participants’ heads. You can find photos of the over 400 participants in this newsletter. It is a pleasure to thank perennial race director, Joe DuVall, Chairperson, Manny Agulnik, the committee members and sponsors for their tremendous support of this event.

One month later, in over 30 Celsius, Reach participated, for the first time, as a Charity at the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. The 2016 total funds raised by all participating charities was over $800,000. We hope next year to increase our visibility at the Race weekend and have our own success story.

We are very excited that June 8, 2016 was declared REACH CANADA DAY by the Mayor Jim Watson. The proclamation was read out by lawyer Lawrence Greenspon at an Appreciation Event we held June 8th to thank the lawyers who volunteer to assist our clients. We were honored to have Supreme Court of Canada Justice Rosalie Abella, who spoke very highly of Reach, its volunteers and Paula Agulnik, retired Executive Director of Reach who gave over 30 years of outstanding work to Reach. See lovely photos included.

We hope everyone is saving the date for the Annual Celebrity Auction, which will be taking place on Wednesday November 2. Individual or group tickets (with partial charitable receipts) and corporate tables can be ordered. Please join us on November 2 and make this our best Celebrity Auction event! 

Finally, the Board and I are pleased to introduce our Fundraising/Special Events Coordinator Josie Fleming, who comes to us with a background in retail, a degree in Economics, and a Certificate in Event Management. Both Board and Staff are excited to be working with her and sharing our wonderful NGO.

Hope that you enjoy this issue as much as our committee had the pleasure of putting it together. Articles relating to disability and human rights issues are always welcome, as is your feedback.

Warm regards,

Joanne

Sahar Rizvi
Common Law Student, U of Ottawa
 

Reach Canada recently spoke to the wonderful staff at Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa to learn about the rapidly expanding and invaluable services they provide to individuals who are encountering mental health challenges and their families in the Ottawa community. The services are offered free-of-cost, and are welcoming and free from stigma. This accessible community organization consists of a community of peers who use their lived experiences with the mental health system to provide support in order to promote hope, recovery, and wellness and cultivate a sense of community.

The Recovery Connections program offering peer and family peer support started in fall 2013. Individuals with mental health challenges are provided with one-to-one support by others who have encountered similar challenges. These human connections offer friendship, encouragement and companionship without the encumbrance of referrals or formal procedures. This collaborative union also allows individuals to see what others are doing and what helps them.

Drop-in peer support is offered in the Psychiatric Survivor’s lounge, which is a welcoming space open from Monday to Friday from 12 pm-4 pm at 211 Bronson Ave., Ottawa, in Rooms 313 and 314.

PSO also offers several free educational, recovery-focused workshops on a continual basis throughout the year. Those workshops become tools to enrich and empower lives. Stories have been shared, friendships formed and communities have been built. People have reclaimed their lives and have become the persons they always wanted to be. Inquire at PSO about WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) and Pathways to Recovery workshops.

The Family Peer Support groups help those who support individuals with mental health challenges to alleviate pressure and isolation. Those groups offer supportive encouragement in an environment where experiences are shared to gain a sense of community. This helps to prevent burn out, and grants an opportunity to discuss important and meaningful issues pertaining to family wellness. The Family Peer Support Groups run every Monday and Wednesday from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm at 211 Bronson Ave., Ottawa, in Room 215.

Family WRAP is a free, practical self-help recovery education series focused on: gaining control in your own life through self-care and understanding of self-care for the loved one; gaining a sense of control in the family as a unit and family self-care, understanding recovery concepts and sharing resources, tools and strategies.

For further information about Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa’s diverse programs and activities to support individuals and families, visit their website: http://www.pso-ottawa.ca/ or contact them at: