Hey....it's the new guy in town!

Meet Dave Cho! Dave is our newest FAME team member and will be joining us as our interim fameKids Coordinator during Anie Najarian's maternity leave. Although we went though an extensive interview process we knew almost immediately upon meeting Dave that he was a contender for the job. The kids are gonna love Dave! Dave has a background in Art Therapy and has worked in some pretty tough 'hoods about the big smoke. We consider ourselves lucky to have snagged him here at FAME.

So welcome aboard Dave! We are looking forward to working with you and getting to know you over the next year. Like I said....the kids are gonna love you!

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

It has long been proposed that when one is physically healthy, one's overall mental and emotional health is also improved. Here's a recent study to add to the list. I was listening to CBC Radio's "Metro Morning" this week and host Matt Galloway was speaking with health columnist Dr. Peter Lin. Dr. Lin pointed to a recent study on the connection between treatment of depression and exercise. Dr. Lin was not suggesting to replace medication with exercise, but was reporting that exercise in conjunction with medication resulted in overall improvement in patients' mental health. Low energy and motivation for individuals with depression could make it difficult for them to engage in exercise. However, Dr. Lin suggested starting slow - walking 3 minutes a day (not much!), then adding an extra minute a day until 30 minutes was achieved. In addition, exercise need not be physically strenuous; when Tai Chi (a slow-movement Chinese martial art form) was practiced, an increase in quality of life was reported.

And if that wasn't enough, I was reading today in CMHA's Mental Health Notes, on another study that reported mental health benefits of exercise therapy for people with schizophrenia. Authors Paul Gorczynksy and Guy Faulkner from the University of Toronto discuss their findings on the following audio podcast: http://www.cochrane.org/podcasts/issue-4-5-april-may-2010/exercise-therapy-schizophrenia. And for the link to the abstract, go to: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD004412/pdf_abstract_fs.html

Happy exercising, everyone!

Lynds....you'll be missed....

Just a quick word....our gal from the Mississauga office is leaving us. Of course if you've read the previous post you'll have already met Stephanie. I did want to take this opportunity to say thank you to Lyndsay for all her hard work and commitment to FAME over the past couple of years. She will be missed. Good luck on your next adventure. Be well!

Greetings!

My name is Stephanie Kerr and i am extremely excited to join the F.A.M.E family, and to be working with the families in the Mississauga area.

Working with Families has always been a dream of mine because that bond that lies within a family is so important. Caring for oneself and each other is the foundation of what a family means; and i am looking forward to learning about the experiences of the Families in Mississauga and doing anything i can to lend a hand.

Thank you for the support from everyone here at F.A.M.E. I already feel like I am at home here, and i am looking forward to meeting all of you great families in the area! See you soon!

Sincerely,

Stephanie

*****UPCOMING EVENTS*****

TAKING BACK YOUR LIFE:

THE SUCCESS OF RECOVERY

FREE PANEL SPEAKER EVENT-APRIL 27, 2010 FROM 6:30-9PM

LOCATION: 1WORLD DRIVE (WORLD VISION BUILDING), Mississauga L5T 2Y4(Hurontario / 401)

FAME IS PLEASE TO PRESENT:

Peter Andruski, Family Member
Kim Van Maren, Consumer Survivor
ACCESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION SYSTEMS: Christina Jabalee, Early Intervention Community Worker, Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, Phoenix Program

Please RSVP to this free event by contacting Frank Logue at
905-488-7716 or frankl@fameforfamilies.com by Monday, April 19
R.S.V.P.

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The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario Halton/Peel Region

The SSO’s Halton Peel Region’s annual Walk of Hope is calling upon our community to come together and join our walk as a team.
We are looking for friends and family teams, agency/organization teams, hospital teams, business teams…any kind of team!

We will announce two teams as winners. The team that raises the most money will win a Mental Wellness catered lunch by the Halton/Peel Region staff.
We will also be announcing the Spirit Award, selected by the participants at the walk, for the team that brought the most spirit to the Walk of Hope day.


Sign up and/or donate on line at http://www.walkofhope.ca/ and start creating your team today!

Contact the Halton/Peel Region with any questions or ideas! 905-338-2112.

Financial Planning for the Future

“What Happens to my Loved One When I Die?”This workshop is designed for parents/siblings/caregivers of individuals living with a disability including schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.

Saturday April 10, 2010
9:30 am — 12:30 pm
Christ Church Anglican
4 Elizabeth St. North, Brampton ON
Suggested Donation: $10.00
Please contact Marina Sue-Ping to RSVP, (905) 338-2112 or
msue-ping@schizophrenia.on.ca
PLEASE RSVP ASAP, SPACE IS LIMITED!

There will be a presentation given by an investment advisor and a lawyer followed by a
question period dealing with the following topics: will writing and estate
considerations, basics of RDSP, different types of trusts, and tax free rollover of
RRSP’s and RRIF’s.
This workshop aims to address some of the more complicated concerns related to the above
mentioned topics by having the following individuals on site to field questions from the group:
Robin-Lee Norris, Partner Miller Thomson LLP and
Dan Matwey, Investment Advisor with BMO Nesbitt Burns

Upcoming Events

There are some really exciting events coming up in the Peel-Mississauga area over the next couple of months that are open to all community which just might be of interest to you:

March 26th 2010 8am-4pm
Robert M. Solomon LL.B, LL.M Discusses Legal Issues in Mental Health and Addictions
Although this workshop is primarily directed to frontline workers it is also open to family members at a reduced cost. If you have the time and are able to come out for a day event please email me (Lyndsay) at lyndsayw@fameforfamilies.com for more details.

April 27th 2010 6-9pm (FREE)
FAME presents Taking Back Your Life-The Success of Recovery
Come out and hear how families and individuals living with mental illness are embracing the concept of recovery and are experiencing success; Recovery is possible!
Registration details will be released in the next couple of weeks. For more information on the event please contact me at lyndsayw@fameforfamilies.com or Frank Logue at frankl@fameforfamilies.com.

Mississuaga Halton LHIN-Education and Implementation Working Group (i know, it's a mouthful!!) will be out in our community this Spring/Summer facilitating road shows on how you can navigate system. The first road show will take place at our FAME event April 27, 2010. One of the first steps in recovery for you and your loved one is figuring out how you can work through this system. Don’t miss out on this event!!

For more information on any of these events please feel free to contact me by email or phone 905-276-8316.

Be Well

Etobicoke Speaker Series

February 17, 2010
The Etobicoke Speaker Event for February on ODSP Employment supports went very well: great attendance and the speaker, Sayonara Mairena, community legal worker for South Etobicoke Legal Services did an excellent job! It's always good to hear what people with disabilities are entitled to receive in regards to support.

Future topics will include the Toronto Mental Health and Addictions Supportive Housing Network (March 16), Disability Tax Credit (April 20) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (May 18). Check our website for more details.

Looking forward to your attendance at these events!
Mary

New Year, New Group!

Hello everyone,

It's my pleasure to announce that the fameKids Scarborough group has now started! We have a wonderful group of 8 children who will spend the next 8 weeks learning about mental illness, expressing their feelings, and developing healthy coping skills. Each group is different, but one thing is always the same - kids are amazing. It never ceases to amaze me how resilient kids can be... I'm looking forward to seeing this group learn and grow together...

Hi all you FAME tab U lous People,

it is truly a great opportunity to join an organization that makes you say proudly" This is altruism at it's finest."

As a single parent, and a family member of a loved one with a diagnosed mental health issue I know the power in family support!

In my role as Admin Coordinator I support each of your families, our staff and board members by administering the funds available to keep our programs running, and when you call or send an email make sure your looked after.

As we move into 2010 we move towards and exciting era.
To those who I met over the course of our holiday parties it has been a pleasure. To those who I will meet I look forward to it.

Happy New Year....Happy Birthday!

Happy new year! It's a brand new year and there is lots of activity going on over here at FAME. Let's start by extending best wishes for happy, happy, happy birthdays to a couple of our staff members. Lyndsay Wright, our Mississauga Family Outreach Worker and Marcia Reid our Admin chick and Spreadsheet Queen extraordinaire are the birthday babies this month at FAME.


I say let them have cake and eat it too! It's all about the chocolate for these girls. Best wishes to them both.

Ok....moving right along. Just wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of Mary Jursinic's ongoing speaker's series for Jan, Feb & March....don't miss it. It's all great information and as always at FAME we continue to work hard to support, educate and help families.

A new year always brings with it a renewed sense of hope and good health. So here's hoping that your new year is a great one!

Keep the faith!

Coop (also known as Christine the executive director and chief cook at the holiday parties :)