News
Aman’s “Little Steps”
May 14th, 2013
Pictured from left (Crisis Centre’s Executive Director, Ian Ross, Aman Sharma, and Crisis Centre’s Director of Community Education, Lu Ripley)
Crisis Centre’s 44th Annual General Meeting, May 1st, 2013, welcomed 50+ staff, Board members, volunteers, and community partners – including a heartwarming, inspiring, and powerful presentation by Volunteer Alumnus, Aman Sharma. Aman recounted his amazing journey of “Little Steps” – from the shock of his brother’s suicide, to a long battle with mental illness, depression, and psychosis, to his recovery and the path he took to give back to others through volunteering.
We welcome you to read his full story here: Little Steps
ASIST Workshop News
May 14th, 2013The Crisis Centre will again be offering ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshop on June 27 & 28, 2013 and August 28 & 29, 2013 (9am-5pm).
Suitable for anyone in contact with individuals at potential risk for suicide, this workshop will provide participants with the skills needed to successfully intervene on behalf of those at risk.
The workshop will be facilitated by Lu Ripley and Akhila Blaise.
Please note that participation in the two complete workshop days is required.
Click here for a downloadable poster, and here for the workshop registration information (also available in PDF format here).
Crisis Centre receives $16,500 donation from TELUS
May 10th, 2013
(From left) Ian Ross, Executive Director of the Crisis Centre and Joe Grech, SVP National Customer Solutions Delivery of TELUS
The Crisis Centre was thrilled to receive a generous donation of $16,500 from TELUS in May 2013. The funding from TELUS will go directly to our Youth Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Program. A big thanks to TELUS for their ongoing support over the years! Their generosity has allowed us to expand our capacity to serve a greater number of youth in our communities.
The Youth Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Program provides hope, education & training for at-risk youth. For further information about this program, particularly Youth Community Outreach and YouthInBC.com, please click on these links:
Important Notice on the Crisis Line Association of BC (CLABC) Sustainable Provincial Funding Concerns
May 09th, 2013Please follow this link to the official media release:
http://media.wix.com/ugd//eaee26_3c3d4062f890e6af00b4e6b3291bec78.pdf
Crisis Centre receives $15,000 donation from Loyal Protestant Association
April 02nd, 2013
March 28th, 2013 – The Crisis Centre was honoured to receive a generous donation of $15,000 from Loyal Protestant Association in March 2013. The funding from Loyal Protestant Association will go directly to YouthInBC.com programs and services. We would like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to Loyal Protestant Association for their ongoing support over the years.
In 2012, YouthInBC.com provided much-needed emotional support to 61,909 youth located in urban and rural communities across the province. This year, we are planning on expanding the capacity for an increased level of service and we could not do this without the support of our donors.
For further information about our YouthInBC.com programs and services, please visit: http://www.youthinbc.com.
CKNW’s Simi Sara Show – A successful public forum on suicide awareness & prevention
October 29th, 2012In the wake of Amanda Todd’s suicide and as a call to action to build a suicide safer community, The Crisis Centre was featured in a LIVE public forum hosted by CKNW’s Simi Sara Show on Thursday, October 25th, 2012 – the topic was Suicide Awareness and Prevention.
Panel guests included Aman Sharma, Community Education Volunteer for the Crisis Centre, Jude Platzer, founder of The Josh Platzer Society for Teen Suicide Prevention and Awareness, Richard Kramer, Director of Distress Services for the Crisis Centre, Lu Ripley, Director of Community Education for the Crisis Centre, Dammy Albach of Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention (CASP) and Coordinator of Suicide Attempt Follow-up Education and Research (S.A.F.E.R.), Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Representative for Children and Youth for the Province of BC, and Stephanie Cadieux, Minister for Children and Family Development.
The forum took place at the Segal Graduate School of Business and focused on key outcomes to encourage people to get help and raise awareness of suicide prevention and intervention resources in the community. We would like to sincerely thank the CKNW team – and our panelists – for their contribution in making this forum a great success.
WSPD 2012
September 20th, 2012The Crisis Centre, SAFER, CHIMO, and the Josh Platzer Society, in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), presented: All Together – Promoting Resilience in Families and Communities on September 10, 2012.
Thank you to those who participated in our World Suicide Prevention Day 2012 virtual event via our official Crisis Centre Facebook page!
The Crisis Centre is once again a finalist for the 2012 Donner Awards!
August 15th, 2012The Crisis Centre has been chosen as the top finalist for the 2012 Donner Canadian Foundation Award for Excellence in Delivery of Counselling Services/Crisis Intervention (2012 Donner Awards Finalists – www.donnerawards.org).
We are also honoured to be one of the top five BC organizations recognized by Donner Awards as the best-managed non-profit social service agency nationwide (Business in Vancouver – www.biv.com). Over the span of the last 12 years, the Crisis Centre has been a winner, a finalist or honourable mention of Donner Awards, the largest and most prestigious non-profit recognition program in Canada.
The Memory Remains Fundraiser raises $7,026 towards the Crisis Centre’s Youth Suicide Prevention Programs
July 13th, 2012
The Crisis Centre is honoured to be the recipient of $7,026 from the Memory Remains Fundraiser – an event held on June 23rd, 2012 at the Fox and Fiddle Restaurant in Langley, organized by Kylee and Jeff Lapierre and their family in memory of Trevor Lapierre. With approximately 250 people in attendance, along with the Canucks’ Mason Raymond, the evening was a great success. Kylee and Jeff Lapierre, the brother and sister-in-law of Trevor, talked about the importance of suicide awareness and prevention – and how the Crisis Centre’s programs and services are a lifeline for people in distress.
About two years ago, the Lapierre family lost Trevor – a bright, young man who was struggling with depression. It is with great passion and dedication that the Lapierre’s decided to host a fundraiser to give back to people, like Trevor, who are in need of support in their darkest hours. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to the Crisis Centre’s Youth Suicide Prevention Programs, which empower young people with the skills and tools to help themselves, and their peers to cope with stress and deal with crisis.
For further information about the Crisis Centre’s programs and services, please visit http://www.crisiscentre.bc.ca
Volunteer Appreciation Night 2012
May 01st, 2012The Crisis Centre had a very successful – and FUN – Volunteer Appreciation Night on April 27th at the WISE Hall in Vancouver. This event served as an opportunity for the Crisis Centre to sincerely thank its 385+ committed volunteers for their ongoing service and support to the community. The evening was full of great entertainment thanks to our MC, Seth McDonough. We played “Crisis Feud” – a spinoff game show of “Family Feud” – and it was a big hit amongst our volunteers. Staff also enjoyed singing a spinoff of “Stand by me” to all the volunteers – and it appeared to be a hit!
Thank you to our prize donors for their generous support! And thank you to all our wonderful volunteers for coming out and making this such a fun evening.
Please click here to check out our photo gallery!