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Mental health centre looks to raise profile

A mental health organization vital to the community is looking to raise its profile and funds to help enhance the services it provides.
resource team
The Delta Resource Centre team includes (from left) David Gault, Lorraine Mock, Michael Haley, Judy Gray, Tara Sudbury and David Chamberland.

A mental health organization vital to the community is looking to raise its profile and funds to help enhance the services it provides.

The Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver/Fraser Delta Resource Centre, located on Delta Street in Ladner, has been offering support in the community for more than 20 years.

The space offers a number of programs as well as outreach, information and education to those in need.

Tara Sudbury helps to deliver various education programs in the workplace and in the community. She also volunteers her time as the fundraising coordinator for the Delta branch.

She said she is hoping this awareness and fundraising campaign will help show the community the services are vital.

"This office is not cutting it," Sudbury said. "We want to make it look trendier, cheerful and more hopeful. We need the office to function in a more cohesive fashion. This should be a space that feels like home, feels like a place that you want to be at."

Sudbury said a direct mail campaign has started with information coming out to the public soon. As well, the CMHA is holding its Ride don't Hide fundraising initiative, which will support all Lower Mainland branches, on June 25 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. See www.ridedonthide.com for details.

"This is the start of our fundraising campaign," she said, adding they are hoping to raise $50,000 to keep staff in place and renovate the office space. "We will be reaching out to the community for some in-kind support to keep the renovation costs low as well."

Judy Gray, director of mental health and promotion for the Fraser branch of the CMHA, said anyone who walks through the door can access services.

"We would speak with them and get an idea of what they are looking for, what they are trying to do, do they need support groups, do they need to go through the actual system? We need to assess all of that. It's really about checking with them to get the information and the services that they need," Gray said.

"Mental health impacts one in three people. We are the only organization in our area that is working in a broad spectrum to support our communities."

Sudbury said all of the supports and programs are evidence-based.

"We are the only place where you can go when you don't know what to do," she said.

To learn more about programs and services, stop by the office at 4871 Delta St., call 604-943-1878 or email: info.vb@cmha.bc.ca.