Getting the bride and groom to kiss is a common and time-honoured wedding tradition. Usually this is done by tapping champagne glasses with flatware. At Celia Kopperud and Matt Sticksl’s wedding reception in October of 2015, they asked guests to make a donation to Distress Centre Calgary if they wanted to see the pair smooch. Three years...
The fight to end the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness has largely centered on talking. Bell Let’s Talk encourages us to use communication to end the stigma, whether by sharing stories of how mental illness touches us all, being aware of the kind of language we use and how it can be harmful or listening...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RE: Suicide rate in Alberta leaps 30% in wake of mass oilpatch layoffs December 8, 2015 Distress Centre would like to provide some context and clarification on the article released by CBC on December 7th on the 30% increase in suicides in Alberta. Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health has confirmed that there has been a 30% increase in...
By Angela Danko When Shehla Shukoor moved to Calgary two years ago fresh off a Master’s degree in Social Work, she was in search of a place she could best apply her knowledge. As she began to meet people and inquire about opportunities for her, she started hearing more and more about an organization called Distress...
Can you outrun the stigma? One runner has dressed up as "the stigma" for multiple events, inviting participants to literally outrun him. Hundreds of students, teachers and members of the community came out to the University of Calgary on October, 18, 2015 to run, walk and volunteer for Outrun the Stigma, a student-initiated run/walk for mental...
Richard Hinse, Commander of Calgary's 911 Centre discusses the new partnership at a press conference at Calgary Police Service Headquarters on October 14, 2015. Distress Centre has partnered with the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Fire Department and 9-1-1 to promote 211 for citizens in need. 211 is a telephone-based information and referral service that connects Calgarians...
Distress Centre was fortunate to have Angela Danko (pictured) assisting the Fund Development and Communications team this summer. My name is Angela Danko and I’m entering my last semester of my B.A in Psychology at the University of Calgary. This summer, I was chosen to be one of Nexen's Not-For-Profit summer students, where students get the opportunity to...
CCC Jasminder Randhawa answering calls on the 211 lines. Author: Angela Danko There is no such thing as an ordinary day at work for a Contact Centre Coordinator (CCC). "No day is ever the same," says CCC, Jasminder Randhawa. Each caller is different – they have unique needs, a meaningful story to share and a voice to be heard....
Image via ThinkStock. The federal government estimates that in 2014 Canada welcomed over 240 000 permanent newcomers. Immigrants bring enrichment to our country in ways not limited to manpower, purchasing dollars, knowledge and skills, and cultural variety. For newcomers, their experiences can be as varied as the newcomers themselves. Some find a welcoming community with jobs, new relationships, and...
Geoff Zakaib presents some of the DataThon's findings during presentations held on May 31, 2015. Data for Good Calgary and Distress Centre Calgary teamed up over the May 29-31 weekend for a DataThon, organized by Data for Good. Over 50 data volunteers analyzed over 1.25 million records of Distress Centre’s calls, 211 contacts, chats and texts,...
