1 in 5 Canadians are impacted by mental health issues. We at the Family Association for Mental Health Everywhere asks the question, who supports the other 4 people in that equation? FAME provides families and caregivers a facilitation of hope, recovery and education. We teach and support families to embrace self-care and individual responsibility.
Let me start by saying, I know as much about decorating as Dolly Parton knows about attempting to flat iron her hair, unnatural and hazardous. Thankfully our executive director Christine Cooper has recently redecorated her home and knows all the ins, outs and decorating faux pas. With her careful selection we have narrowed it down to two options;
Colour Scheme Option A
Colour Scheme Option B
Stay tuned to see what our final decision was and be sure to come by to let us know if we've missed a spot .
HOPE - Helping Other Parents Everywhere, is a community based self help support network for parents of acting out youth. HOPE offers parent support groups, which assist parents who are being negatively affected because of their children's behaviour. HOPE is a self help group of parents who assist each other in making the personal changes necessary to cope and deal with problems at home. Parents offer parents suggestions of what has worked for them, and offer each other HOPE, respect, and support in a non-blaming, safe environment. Meetings happen in various communities in the GTA, Click here to access their website and gain more information.
I wanted to share a great resource guide that I found on the Canadian Mental Health Association's (CMHA) website! It is full of helpful tips about navigating the mental health system, coping strategies for caregivers at home, and at work, and offers many different resources. The guide is there to support friends, family members or co-workers and is a straightforward, easy read! See for yourself! Being There: When Mental Illness Strikes Someone Near You
There are many other informative guides available on the CMHA website, click here to access their Help for Caregivers and Family Members page!
Hello! I'm Laura Vickers. Yours truly has a splash of experience working in both judicial and trauma therapy, a sip of work in gerontology, a gulp of experience in newcomer and community settings and a bucket full of enthusiasm. I’ve backpacked on 4 continents but this might be my biggest adventure yet.
Ok, first things first. Confession time. I am the new Family Support worker at FAME and I am thrilled to be a part of such a lively and passionate team. The excitement and energy surrounding the opening of our new office beats any Rob Ford video (sigh, oh Rob). Like TFC soccer star Jermain Defoe arriving in Toronto... FAME - ITS A BIG DEAL!
The mothership itself is located in St James town at 333 Sherbourne in downtown Toronto, not far from Carlton and Sherbourne- an area representing all shapes and sizes of Toronto's varied population. Our community combines 160 languages and as many as 32,000 people with an average family income that is 41% below city average. FAME is ready to hit the ground running!
FAME’s reputation and assistance has spoken volumes in the local area and we’ve already found ourselves on the St James Town network committee, participating in Toronto public mental health programs, leading scheduled information sessions, and have a continuously growing client base before we’ve even put a lick of paint on the walls. Our calendar is filling up fast with organizations eager to learn more!
Alright...Alright...I swore I wasn't going to just write facts, but I had to be sure to give you the low down on our neighborhood and quite frankly I'm pretty darn excited about what we are doing. Follow me through the trials and tribulations of opening our new office and thanks for reading!
Follow how things are growing by finding us on Twitter: @FAMEforFAMILIES
