Crisis line volunteer, Shane Stronach, at the Nexen booth in our contact centre. Shane Stronach had been looking for a long-term volunteer opportunity for a while when he came across Distress Centre. Having experienced his own crisis several years ago, he felt volunteering on our crisis lines could be a good opportunity to help out other...
Jeremy Luk, alumni Distress Centre volunteer and registered psychologist. Photo by @rockywanders Growing up, I was always a curious child who was fascinated by the lives of others and in understanding how the human brain worked, so it only seemed natural for me to explore a path in the area of psychology. My first year at...
Rich Paxton met his wife-to-be, Lauren, when he was playing a show in London, England and had to stay in a different hostel than the rest of his band, due to a booking mix-up. Lauren was staying in the same room and they started hanging out. By coincidence she was going to Edinburgh, Scotland, Rich’s hometown,...
Michelle and her husband Peter Rowbotham at our 2015 Christmas Party. When Michelle Wickerson came in to interview for a position at Distress Centre (DC), what would be her first job in the social work field after completing her bachelor’s degree at the University of Calgary in 2002, her interviewer, Joan Roy, had already filled the...
In November 2014, Mike Becker, Senior Manager of the Project Management Office for ENMAX, was looking for a volunteer opportunity. Through his research he found Distress Centre Calgary and knew it is a charity that ENMAX supports. He submitted an application, was accepted and took the 60 hours training in January 2015. He has been...
Four years ago, Simone Rousseau, a Realtor with Simone Rousseau & Associates with RE/MAX Real Estate (Central), received a call from one of her clients who was experiencing distress. She immediately helped her client connect with Distress Centre. “The call to Distress Centre was his turning point to getting the help he needed,” Simone said. Simone had...
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...
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....
