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.
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 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.
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."
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.
