Welcome to 50 stories for 50 years, the history of Distress Centre Calgary from 1969 to the present. My name is Donna Crawford, and I am a volunteer who has the honour and pleasure of guiding you on this journey; a very different kind of guidance than provided by those volunteers at the original Drug...
See this update as a video! As 2019 comes to a close, we look back on the year’s successes and challenges and plan for the year ahead. Here at Distress Centre, we have been reflecting on our last 50 years and getting ready for a big change. We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2020,...
“I called. They answered. They listened. Suicide is serious and they took me seriously.” — Caller We respond to 325 contacts each day. This is a particularly difficult time of year for so many, please help us support our community by giving a gift that will help our volunteers and staff save lives. Your gift will be...
Natasha Dharshi began volunteering on the Distress Centre crisis lines in 2014. The experience she gained at Distress Centre and the skills she learned propelled her through every job she would work after Distress Centre, from forensics to homelessness to addictions, and ultimately lead her back to our agency five years later. Natasha moved out of...
Pictured: The Distress Centre team at Outrun the Stigma 2019. This year marked the 7th annual Outrun the Stigma, a walk/run in support of mental health awareness with a mission to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness. The event, which took place on October 6th, raised over $24,000 for our ConnecTeen youth program. In total, Outrun...
Bob Wilkie, a native Calgarian, fell in love with playing hockey as soon as his dad introduced him to the game as a child. He grew up near outdoor rinks and was able to practice frequently. Soon he began to dream of playing for the NHL. In 1987, at age 18, he realized that dream when...
September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day and Distress Centre wants anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or struggling with their mental health to know that help is available. We offer 24/7 phone support, professional counselling and daily online chat support and text support for youth. In 2019 Distress Centre has observed that people prefer to talk about...
See this update as a video! After a rainy start to the season, it feels like summer is finally here. With the recent sunny weather comes spending time outside, festivals, going to Calaway Park and all the other sunny weather activities we can take part in. But at Distress Centre, we know the joy that many...
Distress Centre has responded to over 38,000 crisis calls, chats, texts and emails so far in 2019 (as of June 30th). Here are two stories highlighting the skill and compassion of our volunteers as they support a caller and a texter through crisis. Arnav Arnav called Distress Centre at 11:45 on a Thursday night. He told the volunteer...
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