What's NewFriends Monthly Newsletter - June 2007
June E-News
Welcome to the BC Schizophrenia Society’s e-newsletter! We bring you news from around the province, and keep you informed about all the great work volunteers and staff members across BC are doing to improve the quality of life for people affected by schizophrenia and psychosis.
If you have comments or questions, or would like to contribute an article to the e-newsletter, contact Lisa at lslater@bcss.org. If you don’t want to receive this e-newsletter, please unsubscribe at the bottom of this message.
Contents:
Reminder: Estate Planning Seminar
AGM approaching: June 22, 2007
Comedy Courage Gala Shines Light on the Lives of those with Mental Illness
On Wednesday May 23, 6 “Courageous Comics” dazzled an audience of over 250 people at the 4 th Annual “Laughing and Giving from the Heart Gala” at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in downtown Vancouver.
The comedy showcase featured six students from a twelve-week stand-up comedy course led by professional comic Patrick Maliha. The course is designed to help people with mental health issues to develop a comedy routine about their mental health issues. The students draw on their own experiences to show the lighter side of living with mental health issues, to raise awareness, and to reduce stigma associated with mental illness. The evening was hosted by Global TV’s John L. Daly,
and featured live music, a diamond martini bar, and a live & silent auction, in addition to the comedy showcase.
The $24,918 in funds raised from the gala will go to the MIND Foundation of BC, to support the programs and services that the BC Schizophrenia Society provides for BC families affected by schizophrenia and other serious mental illness. Thanks to everyone who helped make this event a huge success!
ReachOUT Tour: Sunshine Coast and Powell River
The ReachOUT Team is at it again, taking the power of music and slam poetry on the road to raise awareness about psychosis in high schools and jails across BC!
The week of May 14-18, ReachOUT toured the Sunshine Coast and performed in every middle school and high school between Gibsons and Powell River. In that week, ReachOUT impacted over 1700 students and staff through live performances, and provided hope for those in need.
The responses from teachers, students and parents have been very supportive and inspirational. “The youth in the high schools love Ten Ways and Barbara,” says program coordinator Carola Tize. “After every show, Ten Ways and Barbara are signing autographs for students, as well as receiving thanks for raising such an important issue. Students regularly approach us with personal stories – asking where they should go for help for their friends, family members, or even themselves, who have been experiencing symptoms of psychosis.”
“Knowing that ReachOut is connected to BCSS led me to believe the program would be excellent. It was,” commented one teacher from Langley Secondary. “Students were actively engaged in the performance.”
One student from Kitsilano Secondary School said, “I really appreciate what you guys are doing. One of my friends had the symptoms and if it weren’t for early treatment, he would’ve suffered.”
“It’s incredibly empowering to see that we are making such a big difference amongst youth,” says Tize. “The Early Psychosis Intervention South team has also mentioned that some of their referrals have come from ReachOUT, which is very encouraging. It’s amazing to see the effects of the program on young people’s ability to recognize the signs of psychosis and seek help.”
ReachOUT is now in the process of booking a 2-week tour that will start in Prince George, and will go all the way to the Queen Charlotte Islands at the end of September 2007. ReachOUT will also continue to do shows at high schools in the Lower Mainland, as well as tour to new, and previously visited locations throughout the 2007- 2008 season. For more information or to book a show, visit www.reachoutpsychosis.com .
Reminder: Estate Planning Seminar
Just a reminder that the MIND Foundation will be hosting a 3-hour seminar entitled Estate Planning: The Use of Discretionary Trusts to Protect a Loved One with a Disability on Saturday June 9 from 9am-12pm at Riley Park Community Centre in Vancouver.
The seminar will explore estate planning considerations in making a will that uses discretionary trusts, which will protect and preserve funds for your beneficiaries, particularly ones with special needs, and which can preserve their current Disability Assistance benefits. The program will review the current rules around disability assistance and the advantages of creating a testamentary discretionary trust. It will also address general considerations you should be aware of when creating your estate plan and making your will such as: choosing your executor and trustee; taxation issues occurring at death; and the impact of BC statutes and common law.
Material will be provided for you to take with you to assist you in formulating your own estate plan, unique to your circumstances.
The seminar will be conducted by Sarah Leyshon-Hughes, Regional Manager of Estate and Personal Trust Services for the Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia. A career professional in the area of the administration of estates and trusts, Sarah has spent over 35 years in the trust industry. She has administered estates and trusts as a Trust Officer, worked as a Wills Consultant assisting clients in their estate planning needs directly as well as managing those who perform these services while working in the private sector. Currently responsible for the Personal Trust area within the Public Guardian and Trustee, she well understands the emotional and practical needs that persons with a mental illness and their families face.
Please join us at Riley Park Community Centre (50 East 30th Avenue in Vancouver) on Saturday June 9 from 9am-12pm. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, please contact Lisa Slater at 604-270-7841 or by email at lslater@bcss.org.
BCSS AGM Approaching: June 22, 2007
It’s that time again! The BCSS Annual General Meeting will be held on June 22, 2007 at the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond ( 3500 Cessna Drive). In addition, the 2007 BCSS Awards will be presented at the AGM.
The AGM Business Meeting will take place between 6:30pm – 8:30pm, and refreshments will be served following the Business Meeting. Please RSVP to Greg Dallimore by June 15, 2007 at 604-270-7841 or BC Toll-Free 1-888-888-0029, or by email at bcss.prov@telus.net .
Branch Profile: Penticton
The BCSS Penticton branch has been very busy! They just hosted their 2 nd Annual Mental Health Awareness Golf Tournament, gathering prize donations from charitable and community-minded businesses and individuals from Kelowna through to Oliver. 
Forty golfers participated in the event, and everyone really enjoyed the afternoon. They are looking forward to making the 3rd Annual tournament even better!
During Mental Illness Awareness Week in October, BCSS Penticton partnered with
their neighbours, Penticton & Area Cooperative Enterprises and CHMA, for a variety of free events. The week began with an Open House hosted at BCSS for all mental health related agencies. Smith & Co. Beverage presented a film starring Richard Gere, who portrays a man with bipolar disorder on their big screen. The branch also hosted the National Depression & Anxiety Screening Day.
BCSS Penticton also ran two sessions of the Strengthening Families Together Family Education course this year, and has a contract with the Interior Health Authority to deliver the Peer Support Program, which has just begun. They have also applied for, and received, funding to create additional Mental Health Kits.
The NDP has recently voted against a pay raise for MLAs, and have committed to donating their increase to charity. If you have an NDP MLA, please consider writing to request that they direct their donations to BCSS. Kathleen Perrault of Powell River wrote the following to an MLA:
Dear Ms. James,
I am pleased to hear that the NDP will vote no to these ridiculous raises for MLAs, and that any raise gained by NDP MLAs from the passing of this bill will be donated to charity.
At this time, I would like to point out that the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society is a highly under-funded organization dedicated to helping individuals with mental illness. Although over 2% of our population has a severe and chronic mental illness, the funding for advocacy, research, housing and early intervention programs for the mentally ill is miniscule in comparison to that for other afflictions (ie. diabetes, cancer).
I ask that you encourage your MLAs to partially donate their raises, if the bill is passed, to the BCSS, and ask that you personally donate your raise to this cause. You could make a huge difference to the plight of many in our province. I am not employed by the BCSS, but am a volunteer and advocate for the mentally ill.Best Regards,
Kathleen Perreault
BCSS on YouTube!
Have you heard about YouTube, a cool new way to share videos through the Internet? Have you been wondering what all the fuss is about? Well, BCSS has decided to get in on the action, and we’ve posted some of our public awareness and education videos on our new BCSS YouTube account. Be sure to check it out at http://www.youtube.com/group/bcss . Coming soon: Promotional videos for the ReachOUT program and tour!
Monthly Giving Program
Many BCSS donors have converted to the Monthly Giving Program since it began in 2004. “Monthly giving allows me to contribute to BCSS in a consistent, practical and efficient way,” says Monthly Giver Nicholas Thornton. “It also reduces administrative costs, so my donation can go where it’s most urgently needed – to programs and services.”
Want to enroll as an MGP? Contact Greg Dallimore at 604-270-7841 or by email at gdallimore@bcss.org . The first twenty-five people who enroll will be entered in a draw to win a prize.