Helping Others to Help Ourselves

Can-Voice Community Support Services Centre 450 Spruce St., London, ON“Helping others to help ourselves”, is an apt motto for Can-Voice, a London, Ontario agency “dedicated to the educational and social support of consumers/survivors of the mental health system in their struggle for wellness and to increase public awareness regarding mental health”. Sister Esther Lucier and I saw this motto in action as we answered an invitation to tour Can-Voice (I can have a voice) program quarters and the recent renovations to their nearby Willow Creek House.

Esther and I were greeted warmly by Betty Edwards, pictured lower right, the well qualified, volunteer executive director.  We were soon to learn that the entire undertaking is staffed by generous volunteers who have kept this valuable, community support service alive and active for thirty years!  In every room we viewed, proud, friendly volunteers explained the programs offered in the modest Can-Voice building. They spoke about outreach services, self-help groups, support services and activities which assist the consumers/survivors in achieving quality of life.

A special focus of our visit was touring the Willow Creek House next door where several men and women with mental health issues live and form community.  We were impressed with recent renovations such as new windows and flooring throughout the home.  This was due to the generosity of kind donors. More improvements need to be done as other donors become aware of areas calling for attention.

As we took our leave, it was obvious from the smiles and friendly handshakes extended to us, that those who live at Willow Creek House are happy to have found stability, comradery and support.  On the way home, Esther and I reflected on the Can-Voice initiative as another example of how selfless volunteers and bighearted donors can uplift spirits and change peoples’ lives.  How blessed we are to live in a city of caring people.

- Sister Jean Moylan, csj

Can-Voice    is a local member-run, peer support, self-help organization for the education and empowerment of consumers and survivors of the mental health system.  

Turning Mental Health Inside Out

Help!  The inner cries, of persons who suffer with mental health concerns, need to reach our ears and hearts. From the shadows of secrecy, mental illness must move out into the light of our conscious awareness. The statistics are startling!  One in five Canadians will be afflicted with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. The painful stigma, that has been associated with persons who struggle psychologically, needs to be lifted. Advocates of mental health such as Clara Hughes, Margaret Trudeau and Howie Mandel need to be heeded. Rising out of their personal harrowing experiences, they have been blessed with the courage and passion to speak out. Their prophetic voices unite with so many who have no voice, offering them new hope and assurance that they are not alone. 

A month or so ago, I attended an event sponsored by the St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation, at which Heather Hiscox, CBC Host, was in candid conversation with Howie Mandel. Mr. Mandel believes that as human beings, at certain stressful times, each of us has mental health issues which result in difficulty in coping with life. We need to talk about this reality; thereby, counteracting the shame that has been placed on persons who bear this burden in silence.      

When a person’s mental wellbeing is jeopardized, she or he may be pushed to the margins of society due to misunderstanding and lack of acceptance. Persons who do not seek necessary help soon enough, due to fear of ridicule and rejection, may end up in a crisis situation. They may become suicidal and filled with despair, resulting in admittance to hospital through an emergency department. Perhaps this trauma could be avoided, if persons felt that they could openly talk about the state of their mental health and when needed consult their family physician and seek out counselling. 

Mental health is everyone’s concern.  Let’s get talking! 

What are you and I willing to do to advocate for mental health so that persons can freely seek out the necessary support and treatment?  

Kathleen O’Keefe, CSJ