OUR
message
Laureen MacNeil,
Executive Director
As we turn the corner on the 2014 – 2015 year
at CMHA Calgary Region, awareness around
the issue of mental health and addiction has
piqued public interest in a way we haven’t seen
in the 60 year history of our agency. The face
of mental health and addiction today is one
of open conversation with a genuine intention
of reducing or eliminating stigma and leading
individuals with these challenges to a recoveryfocused future.
The year past has been one where several
significant endeavours highlight the public’s
interest in our agency and the work we do.
Our staff is receiving recognition for the
commitment to excellence they exhibit in
their work. Debbie Wiebe received Calgary
Learns’ Life of Learning Awards’ (LOLA) 2015
Learning Champion and Brenda Vanderwal
received United Way’s 2015 Bhanyana
Family Foundation Award for Innovation and
Creativity. Congratulations Debbie and Brenda!
We held a community wide gathering to
develop a collective response to the Alberta
government’s GAP MAP Report, a deep
analysis of the status of mental health and
addiction services in the province. Additionally
we are leading an AHS Strategic Clinical
Network project on Peer Support. We
launched the beautiful coffee-table book
Sick to Death of the Silence, an awareness
campaign and fundraising opportunity led by
volunteers. We participated for the first time
in the national flagship bike ride, Ride Don’t
Hide. We hosted the 2014 Nationwide CMHA
Conference, Strengthening Our Collective
Voice, which was the largest in CMHA’s history.
Our 10th Annual Survivors of Suicide Loss day
provided the opportunity for individuals to
gather, share and learn together. Our agency
was honoured to host Her Excellency Sharon
Johnston, where we were able to showcase not
only our work in community, but also honour
Jim Merchant,
Board Chair
some of our long-time volunteers with the
Governor General’s Caring Canadian Awards.
We were the recipients of funds raised by an
internationally reaching and viral social media
campaign, #CHHSLetsTalk, created by local
high school students. And, we hosted our first
ever Headstrong Youth Anti-Stigma Summit
alongside the Mental Health Commission of
Canada, just to name a few of the groundbreaking and headline gathering activities we
found ourselves involved in this past year.
We’ve put significant resources into how we
strategically respond to the increased need this
awareness is driving: Our Board has approved
a three year strategic plan and CMHA Calgary
has launched the development of a Recovery
Framework (2015) that shapes the delivery
of recovery-oriented best practices. These
practices ensure that our mental health services
are delivered in a way that supports individuals
and families within a client-centred, recoveryoriented community-based operating model.
This new framework strengthens our ability to
work with clients at all stages of their illness
and recovery journey, equipping them with
the necessary skills, resources and support
they need. The ability to share one’s story has
a life-changing impact, and provides hope
for others. As our clients find confidence
and voice, we continue to focus on creating
opportunities for them to share their stories of
recovery in many different ways.
This year, we celebrate the 60th anniversary
for CMHA Calgary as positive champions for
mental health in the city. We have a longstanding tradition of advocating for our clients
while offering community-based services which
are both creative and pioneering. This solid
foundation positions us to continue our vital
work in community; providing quality support
for those with mental health and addiction
challenges.