Image: AADAC Chair presenting plaque to DC Board Chair, Dell Stephens in 1995. Funding was an ongoing issue for the Board in the 90s. Priorities stated by FCSS and the United Way inevitably impacted the agency’s future directions. Supporting agencies that were accessible by minority populations, meeting needs around an increased violence trend, and assessing if...
Image: From a summer newsletter in 1996. Meeting the specific needs of seniors for crisis intervention became the subject of discussion among senior-serving agencies and the City of Calgary starting in 1993. Distress Centre Board Chair Murray Young began looking for funding for a dedicated seniors’ line. In cooperation with the Kerby Centre, and jointly funded...
On March 17, Distress Centre moved from operating entirely on premises to operating entirely remotely for the initial phase of its emergency operations with no disruption to Distress Centre’s services. Distress Centre’s COVID-19 Response Team and all staff and volunteers have demonstrated an exceptionally high-level of commitment and passion for serving people in crisis and...
Image: Glenda Nyberg in her home in 2018. From the beginning, volunteers have been the backbone of Distress Centre’s service to the community. One of many individuals who have commented on their importance is Dr. Jackie Sieppert, Dean of Social Work at the University of Calgary and former Board Chair: “The organization would collapse without volunteers. You...
Image: Volunteers at the 1994 Christmas party. 150 volunteers were on the lines in 1990, with a new shift from 9 pm to 2 am added due to volume. The initial phone number from 1975, 266-1605, was still the place to call in a crisis. Drumheller joined with Banff and Canmore to use a 1-800 number...
Client confidentiality has always been foundational to Distress Centre’s work. Occasionally callers or counselling clients choose to make their stories public, to increase awareness of the service, or help with fundraising. It seems important to include at least one client story, as clients represent the heart and purpose of the work. Many thanks to Judy...
All over the world, people are coming together in support of the black community and in protest of oppression, racism and police brutality. For those of us who do not identify as black, this is a time to reflect on how we can be a better ally to this community. At Distress Centre, we strive to...
Our office remains closed but all of our services are open and available by phone or online, including our crisis line, online chat, ConnecTeen, 211 and counselling services. If you need help, please reach out. We’re proud that we’ve been able to support Calgarians through such a difficult time. Here is one story of how we...
Counselling and public education continued to be a significant part of the Distress Centre/Drug Centre's (DC/DC) services. Fred Burns was Clinical Supervisor, and Suzanne Rosebrugh the Drug Counsellor. Along with five crisis counsellors they saw a variety of clients, usually within the week of them calling the crisis line. 1991 recorded 3900 hours of counselling offered, with 25% of a counsellor’s time spent in support of volunteers and 20% in public education. [caption id="attachment_19935" align="alignleft" width="411"] From...
In January of 1994, AADAC added a province-wide Gambling Line to their services. The government had put newly available VLTs in all the bars and casinos and people were getting hooked on them, something which is still true today. Gaylene Heidt, who became the first co-ordinator, remembers: “AADAC was giving funding for problem gambling. When AADAC trained...
