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Visit the Villages Tractor Trek 2015

Aerial view of the tractor assembly point at Reinland Community Centre

Visiting the Villages during the 8^th Annual Tractor Trek on Saturday July 11^th was a delight.  The weather was just the right combination of warm temperatures and overcast skies.  The entourage of 50 tractors started the trek in Reinland, crossed HWY #32 and then wended its way northward through Blumenfeld, Friedensfeld, Hochfeld, Chortitz and then had a lunch stop at Eden Mental Health Centre.

Five rows of tractors all lined up at Eden Mental Health Centre

Hospital Director John Abbors gave the trekkers a summary of the background to the facility, how it serves the Southern Health Region and how it continues to be a part of the expression of faith as it was first envisioned by the nine founding church conferences.

When the trekkers left after lunch, they made a slow procession past Salem Home; whose administration had been informed, allowing assembled residents the opportunity to see what residents of the villages had seen during the morning hours.

The tour stopped in at Chortitz at Valley Christian Academy for a balance beam competition.  The goal in this event was to drive the tractor up onto two large bridge timbers and balance the tractor for five seconds without either of the ends touching the ground.  A number of riders accomplished the task and the winner was Ed Dyck from Boissevain on a Farmall A with a time of 23.22 seconds.  For his efforts he will be receiving a year’s subscription to the ‘Antique Power’ magazine.

Balancing beam...with stye!

After everyone arrived back in Reinland for supper, the judges took over and made awards in a number of categories.

The Best Non-Restored Tractor went to John Driedger from Carman on his 1964 Massey Ferguson 35.

The Best Original Restored went to Jake Harder from Altona on his 1959 John Deere 730.

The Best Original Restored with Modifications went to Randy Suderman who was driving a 1958 Allis Chalmers D-14.

The Quietest Running Tractor award went to Armin Ens from Reinland on what he calls his “parade queen”, a 1948 Ford 8N.

The Oldest Tractor award went to Greg Chase from Regina who was driving John Elias, his father-in-law’s 1940 Ford 9N.

 A new award was handed out this year and it was Ladies Choice award, chosen by ladies of course based on whatever criteria they deemed fitting.  The award went to Bev Dyck of Winkler driving her family’s 1953 John Deere 70.  We were informed by the judges that Bev’s flowing white locks and cute over-all shorts were a contributing factor.

The Easiest Starting award went to Tyler Wiebe who was driving his grand-father’s 1953 Oliver 77 and he also received the Smoothest Running Tractor Award.  It is also important to note that his grand-father, Martin P. Wiebe had been a long-time participant in the Tractor Trek and a source of encouragement to the organizers of the Tractor Trek.  His passing in February of this year was a great loss to his family who honoured him by participating in this year’s event.

The purpose of the event was to raise the awareness of what Eden Mental Health Centre does in the community and to again highlight the breadth of services that have grown from that original dream.  The services include Segue Career Options, helping people evaluate their skills and receive training and coaching as they re-enter the working community.  Also highlighted was the fact that housing and supports within those housing complexes are available to people who are in some stage of mental health recovery, living alongside others who do not necessarily have any diagnosis or need for supports.  The housing model is a reflection of the reality of the world we all live in.  Not everyone is healthy, nor is everyone ill.  We have some of each and we live together and the Eden housing model is a reflection of that reality.

The results of event were that; at the time of this writing, just over $57,000 was recorded as received from the community.  It again is a clear indication of the community’s generosity and also an indication of the fact that there is a recognition of the need for the services that Eden can offer to the Southern Health region.

Visit the Villages Tractor Trek 2016 is scheduled for Saturday July 9^th, 2016.  As in each year past, a new route will be chosen and new events added to the ‘TO DO’ list.

All tractor pictures are courtesy of Terry Klassen photography.  If you'd like to see the complete catalogue of pictures that he took during this event, go to:  www.topstockphoto.com and then go to 'Galleries' - 'Special Events' - 'Tractor Trek 2015'.

100 Holes For Eden

Eden Foundation's Linda Driedger at the 15th Annual Eden Foundation IronMan Golf Marathon

One hundred holes in one day may seem like a long day on the golf course, but it's not too much for those looking to support Eden Health Care Services.

The 15th annual Eden Foundation IronMan Golf Marathon took place in Winkler Tuesday, raising over $10,000 for Eden Health Care Services.

Eden Foundation's Linda Driedger says the funds raised at this tournament will be used for mental health recovery programs, programs for housing, job opportunity services, counselling, and other programs that will give individuals with mental health issues a chance at recovery.

Eleven golfers took part in the day, one of which was Winkler Chamber President Ryan Hildebrand. He was on the 75th hole when we chatted with him about why he wanted to do this.

"I've seen the work that Eden has done first-hand and I see how many people are helped through the work of Eden and it just inspires us to come out year after year."

This was Hildebrand's 5th year participating in the tournament.

Written by Vickie Addison for Pembina Valley Online. Used with permission.

Steinbach Tractor Trek

Saturday June 13th was a perfect day for Steinbach's Tractor Trek 2015.  The event is a collaboration between Mennonite Heritage Village and Eden Foundation, raising funds for their respective programs.  The two organizations collaborate in this effort, sharing responsibilities, the costs associated with the event and then the proceeds of the event.  As of this writing in excess of $32,000 has been donated to the combined effort of these two organizations.

The theme for 2015 was "Preserving the Past and Creating a Future".  Mennonite Heritage Village has been active since it began in the business of preserving the stories and the artifacts of a people who arrived in Manitoba and called it home.  In order that the artifacts will stay intact for future generations to see, climate control equipment at MHV is in need of repair and upgrade.

Eden Foundation represented the "Creating a Future" portion of the theme in that proceeds will be used to create hope, healing and community by supporting the work of Eden Health Care Services.  The work of EHCS in the Southern Health Region includes personal and family counselling, work-readiness assessment and training, and housing and supports.  A significant goal for Eden Health Care Services is to provide resources to build a new apartment block following the model already proven to be successful at Penfeld Court in Steinbach and Concordia Village IV in Winnipeg.

Pictures of many of the tractors and some of the activities will be posted in the very new future. Visit this site again in the near future.

Access Credit Union Renews Support for Eden Health Care Services

Chris Hildebrand, Earl Reimer, Joel Billing

Access Credit Union presented a cheque of $8,000 to Eden Foundation to support the work of Eden Health Care Services, on Wednesday June 10th.  The financial support of ACU is a very important factor in helping to make a number of Eden Foundation events a possibility. These funds are the 'seed money' around which the Foundation can build events around which the community can get involved.  Because of this support funds donated in support of the IronMan Golf Tournament, Visit the Villages Tractor Trek, Head for the Hills Cycling Event and Sharing Our Stories will all be going directly to the work of Eden Health Care Services.

The work of Eden Health Care Services that is being supported by these fund-raising events goes to support private counselling for people who would not otherwise be able to receive individualized help.  It also goes to support trainers in helping people prepare for and find work and return to the community as a valuable contributor to the community and it also goes to provide safe, affordable housing for those who would not otherwise be able to afford a decent place to live.

Access Credit Union values the partnership with Eden and understands the significance of good mental health within the workplace.  ACU is by its nature an organization created by the people and for the people of the communities they serve.  They have shown that communitment to the community by their involvement in many charities and events in the community and Eden Foundation represents one of those involvements.

Segue offers strong connections

Written by Ian Froese | This article originally appeared in The Carillon

IAN FROESE | THE CARILLON
Debra Stockwell, Chantal Ippersiel and Stephan Geissler help people experiencing barriers to employment find fulfillment through steady work at Segue Career Options, located through the back door at 418 Main Street, Steinbach.

Each client visiting Segue Career Options in Steinbach is a new story.

It could be a woman held back by a physical disability, or a young man with a poor work history. They all need help, guidance in finding employment.

That transformation from first conversation to first day on the job is what Stephan Geissler relishes. He helps job-seekers overcome the obstacles preventing them from finding work.

"I enjoy seeing young people coming in, unaware of their barriers, and through the program they start to identify, self-assess and realize, ‘Wow, maybe I have a chip on my shoulder.’"
Nearly 100 people utilize Segue yearly, seeking a smooth transition from unemployment to earning a pay cheque on the regular.

There are two streams. What’s referred to as Segue proper is one-on-one training for people with mental or physical health barriers. After conducting a vocational assessment, Segue seeks the right job opportunity.

The STEP program is geared toward people aged 15 to 30, those who are job-ready but not fully trained. Maybe they’re inexperienced, lacking knowledge or had poor experiences in past jobs. A four week in-class component teaches various skills and then they venture into an eight week work experience, where they are connected with willing employers. The participants are paid for by the government and covered under Workers Compensation.

Although the two programs vary, they centre around mentoring, said program coordinator Chantal Ippersiel.

"It’s a unique opportunity to serve a portion of our community that tend to feel like they’re overlooked—we get the ones that didn’t finish high school or had rockier paths," she said. "They just need to go somewhere where they can learn, not be judged and expand on their skillset."

Director Debra Stockwell manages Segue in Steinbach, where it has operated on 418 Main Street since 2012, and in Winkler, where it has flourished since the 1980s.

Though each client differs in what brings them to Segue, they learn the same lessons.

"[Segue] gives them an opportunity to be themselves and by being themselves Stefan and Chantal are able to draw even more skills out of them," said Stockwell.

The list of businesses accepting Segue’s clients continues to grow. They include Steinbach Family Resource Centre, Rocco’s Pizzeria, Canadian Tire and Let’s Celebrate Rentals.

Segue hopes more businesses become aware of them and give their clients a shot. Stockwell is well-aware of the time involved in teaching new employees, but she hopes employers will consider lending a hand, and maybe train them into becoming the perfect employee.

"These are people in this community, whether they fall under Segue or whether they fall under STEP, that all want to be a part of our community," she said. "Here we can help them do that."

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Written by Ian Froese | This article originally appeared in The Carillon

Used with Permission

“The Stigma, I Think It's Starting To Go Away”

Written by Rachel Siemens for Pembina Valley Online

James Friesen (file photo)

During the 64th National Mental Health Week, CEO of Eden Health Care Services says he feels the stigma of mental health is starting to go away.

James Friesen adds it's best to not hide behind an issue but find spaces where you can talk and share. Friesen says he's experienced that positive mental health starts with simply having a place to live.

"What we've seen evidence of and that is in terms of being involved in housing programs, is we've seen lives transformed when people simply have housing first. So they get a place to live, then you start building the context of community in there and building relationships, getting connected to resources in the community. Suddenly now a person's life is entirely different. They're contributing in a way that they've never imagined before and it's just because they got housing first before any of the other things were brought to bare."

Friesen adds we tend to put labels on things, so if someone identifies with a mental illness we see them through that lens.  However, he says that's not fair because we would look like quite different people if we all started identifying ourselves by our deficits, struggles and challenges.

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This article originally appeared on Pembina Valley Online. Used with Permission.

Harmony For Hope -- Eden Health Care Services Concert

Written by Jayme Giesbrecht for Pembina Valley Online

It was billed as a Harmony for Hope. A joint concert featuring the Eastman Male Choir led by Ed Hildebrand, and the Winkler Community Male Choir led by Ray Giesbrecht combined to support Eden Health Care Services. The Choir sang, and the people came. It was a packed house at the Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church, and 800 filled the pews at Steinbach Mennonite Church. The concerts also concluded with a number of songs featuring the combined choirs, and it was after the concert, Bass section singers Al Ens and Peter Dyck shared with Al Friesen, their enjoyment of the evening.

Peter was featured in a solo in the gospel song, Precious Lord Take My Hand.

This article originally appeared on Pembina Valley Online

Iron Man 2015

Iron Man 2015

Come join us.

It’s always a delight to be together with a group of men and women who have a desire to take a step or two just beyond the borders of ‘comfortable’.  IronMan is just such a case.  This event is open to everyone who wants to golf for a purpose and who wants to golf without the focus being on the golf score alone.  The IronMan is for everyone who’d like to give a good part of a day to playing golf and in the process raise the awareness of issues surrounding mental health.

Tuesday June 23^rd is the day you’re invited to take part in an adventure.  This year is the 15^th year that Eden Foundation has hosted a group of golfers on the Winkler Centennial Golf Course.  There is no registration fee to be part of this event but we do ask golfers and caddies to raise pledges in support of the work of Eden Health Care Services.  Here’s the link that will take you to the Registration Page.

Eden Foundation has created a Manual you can download here.  It will give you all the details of what to expect during the course of the day, from the time you arrive for breakfast to supper in the late afternoon.

Try to keep up boys!

The question one might well ask is, “Why would anyone want to golf 100 holes of golf in one day?  That’s an awful lot of golfing for one day.”  The reason why anyone might want to do anything is to challenge oneself and in doing so, recall how someone struggling with issues surrounding mental health is challenged daily.  For someone who is dealing with issues of mental health, not only does that person struggle with the emotional roller-coaster but so very frequently the individual is struggling with the loss of employment.   It is also far too common that in many cases homelessness is part of the package.

Eden Foundation is focusing on all of the components that make up good mental health and there are occasions where a particular area is the focused target for the event.  This year the Foundation is looking to support the work of our Housing and Supports Board and their expansion of housing.  Currently Housing and Supports operates apartment buildings in Winkler, Steinbach and Winnipeg which offer 131 places for people to call home.  There continues to be a real need for more places to be built and the Eden organization is not alone in this realization.  Eden gets involved with building homes where there is a desire for the communities being served, to have those homes built.

No, really!  This is a very serious game.

 Currently, Eden together with a group of people from the city of Steinbach have come together and have identified a prime piece of property in Steinbach to build a new apartment block and have made an official application to the provincial government, inviting them into the partnership as well.  This is a pattern that Eden and other interested groups have worked successfully in previous projects; the last one being the Concordia Village IV project in Winnipeg.  We look forward to the formalization of the relationship and as such can expect that the Eden will be asked to be a financial contributor to the project.

You are invited to be part of the experience.  You can be part of that experience by sponsoring one of the golfers, click here to add your support to their effort.

Harmony for Hope 2015

Winkler Community Male Choir and Eastman Male Choir are again teaming up to sing.  These two choirs will be collaborating to present a message of hope, healing and community.

Eastman Male Choir

 
Ed Hildebrand is the director for the Eastman Male Choir and in addition is an accomplished pianist and music arranger.  Ray Giesbrecht directs the Winkler Community Male Choir and is a performing soloist.  They'll be collaborating on a little something as part of the performances. 

Winkler Community Male Choir

These two choirs are joining to present not one, but two evenings of music.  The first concert is on Saturday April 25th at 7 pm at Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church.  The second concert will be on Sunday April 26th at 7 pm at Steinbach Mennonite Church.

The work of Eden Foundation is to engage the community in the work of Eden Health Care Services.  That means in part, that we are asking for financial engagement in order that a particular goal or dream that the community has identified can become a reality.  The needs that we are being reminded of over and over again, is for good affordable housing and the sense of community that results from having a decent place to live.  That's what the goal is for these concerts.

The reason that Eden is in the business of housing, is that to maintain a good mental health balance there is a need for a number of other realities of life to be present, not the least of which is housing.  To have a safe, warm and decent place to go home to everyday is a huge part of having peace of mind and as a result continued good mental health.

There are currently two housing projects that are taking shape.  One project is a collaboration between Eden, a group of partners in Steinbach and then another project that is taking shape which is a collaboration between Eden and a group of partners in Morden.  In both projects, we have the privilege of having the provincial government as one of those collaborating partners.

The government of Manitoba in turn recognizes the value of our contribution to these housing projects in that we as the people who live in these communities are showing in very real and practical terms that we consider these projects to be important and that we are engaged and care.  That does not go unheeded by the government that we have collectively elected.

So when we come together in events like these two Harmony for Hope concerts, we are speaking not only into the lives of those whom we will eventually help find a new place that can be called ‘home’, we are also speaking clearly and loudly to our government. We are telling them that we the citizens living here consider this work important and here is the proof.  Please come work with us.

You are invited you to come to the Harmony for Hope concerts.  You will hear good male choir singing.  You will hear a report on the work of Eden Health Care Services and the further developments of these partnerships. You will have opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people dealing with issues surrounding mental health.