Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

CAMH is Canada’s largest addiction and mental health organization with 608 beds and focuses on care, research, education and health promotion. It is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto and they are a member of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization collaborating in mental health and addiction. They have 26 locations throughout Ontario so that new knowledge is translated into addressing mental health and addiction issues in local communities. Read more »

Moving Seniors provides free transportation to shopping centres, doctors appointments or just to visit friends in other parts of the city.  Most of their clients have recently given up their drivers licenses either voluntarily or for medical reasons within the last 18 months.  Moving Seniors is part of Edmonton Catholic Services.  ECS provide many other services to seniors in the Edmonton area including snow removal, yard cleaning and even cooking meals in the senior’s home. 
The day started by picking up my Route Leader (Hazel).  Hazel, a senior herself, knew personally all of the 9 seniors we were going to pick up.  We picked up from various parts of the city and transported the clients to their requested destinations and then returned them home afterwards.  I was treated very well including a gift of home-made baking from one very kind lady, Mrs. Marshall.  This was a very enjoyable afternoon! Bill !

My first hour was spent doing an orientation. I met with one of the staff. After paperwork was signed I was taken on a tour. I saw the overwhelming support for the Centre.
At first I started in the Soup kitchen where I chopped onions and peeled garlic. That didn’t last long as a truck rolled in with donations. I was asked if I would do from 1- 4 pm in the sorting room. It is as the name suggests.

The stuff is sorted and sent to the Thrift Shoppe. They have a “starter kit” for those that are in need. If there is a fire for example and you lose everything, they will give you a kit. It includes a set of dishes, blankets, night clothes, etc.

They were really grateful for the help. I will be working every Saturday along with my 15 year old son. He has 40 hours of volunteer work to do and I’m sure this will be a great place to give his time and to learn a life lesson.

 Tina!

Wives of two men serving in the Canadian Forces have started a
grassroots effort to send a message to our soldiers.

The concept of wearing something red - whether a red shirt, jacket,
cap, bandana or whatever - every Friday is meant to let the soldiers
and their spouses and children know they are not alone.

We appreciate the sacrifices they are making on our behalf. We thank
them for their service to our country and their fight for peace and
justice wherever in the world they are sent.

With that in mind, a massive public rally is being planned for “Red
Friday”. This is a non-partisan, non-political rally in support of
Canadian troops and their families:

* Friday Sept 22, 2006
* Parliament Hill, Ottawa
* 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM

Police officers, firefighters, city staff, politicians of all
stripes, OC Transpo staff, paramedics,United Way workers, private
businesspeople and the general public will join a colourful parade
of veterans as they show respect and thanks in a very public way.

Dawna!

On a warm sunny day, 100% of Sabre’s Vancouver employees pulled on their work gloves and grabbed garbage bags to clean up one of the many shorelines on our beautiful coastline!  In a 4 hour time frame we collected and catalogued 25 pounds of garbage.  Among the usual garbage of plastic bags, cigarette butts and pop cans, we found a dog harness, two pairs of sunglasses and a toy car.
 Not only did we clean up broken glass and the garbage, we laughed, chatted and philosophized on the future of our planet and the difference we had made with such little effort.  We left the beach a looking dirty but feeling like we had made a small difference to the Vancouver Aquariam Conservation program.

Beth, Gerey & Simon
    

St. Clair West Services for Seniors is a multi-service center that recently relocated to a new address and through its United Way membership made it known that they wanted help to decorate their Meals on Wheels preparation room.  This agency began to deliver meals in 1973 and currently provides 400 meals to its community six days per week with the assistance of 20 volunteers and one staff member.  After two Sabre reps met with the program director and toured the agency, we wanted to design a mural that depicted a story about the work carried out in the Meals on Wheels prep room.  Our proposal was presented to the agency and it underwent several days of scrutiny.  The feedback was incorporated into our mural proposal and after making very few modifications we impatiently waited to show off our talents. 

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