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...
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....
George and Donna Coutts have been happily married for 46 years since meeting on a blind date in Estevan, Saskatchewan. For most of their married life they have been globetrotting the world working and living in 13 countries over 35 years. They both hail from Saskatchewan, but only George is a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan! George and Donna...
Kindness Matters volunteers spread cheer as they hand out wellness packs. Photo courtesy of Kindness Matters. Once a year for the last three years, Suzana Rymak has hit the streets of Calgary with a group of volunteers to pass out what she has dubbed as “wellness packs.” The packs, 200 of which were given out this year alone,...
Robyn Romano (middle left) at our 2015 Calgary Hitmen game is support of ConnecTeen. When Robyn Romano, Contact Centre Supervisor at Distress Centre, thinks about what drove her to pursue social work, she recalls back to when her mother was in palliative care and she observed the home care nurses who cared for her. “I realized I...
Mental health is an important topic to local potter, Callie Beller Diesel. Growing up there was a lot of substance abuse and stress in her family. “It’s not always easy to find somebody that you can reach out to,” Callie says. “A lot of the time your family and friends may not be actually equipped to...
In October 2004, Lee Horbachewski was on the brink of taking her own life. She was suffering from post-partum depression after the birth of her second daughter and felt she could not go on. She sealed herself in her bedroom with bottles of prescription pills and, crying hysterically, began to open each one.* In a moment...
'Listen Up! Calgary' features seven bands, including Free The Cynics, fronted by Distress Centre volunteer, Rich Paxton (right). Photo courtesy of Keith Skratins. Rich Paxton has been volunteering on Distress Centre’s 24 hour crisis lines since December 2013. He had recently moved to Calgary from Scotland with his wife and said getting involved with Distress Centre was...
On March 26, 2014 Lee Horbachewski, author of “A Quiet Strong Voice: A Voice of Hope Amidst Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Thoughts” spoke to friends and supporters at Self Connection Books. Lee and her husband Neil are major donors and supporters of the Distress Centre, but long before Lee was a donor she was a caller,...
