Hello Everyone!

We are well into the New Year and I hope you are enjoying our early "spring" and taking care of yourself. There are a number of activities coming up soon and these are the ones I particularly want to draw to your attention.

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES TOGETHER

Strengthening Families Together will be starting in Vancouver next month. SFT is designed for family members and friends of those living with a mental illness. It will be held on Tuesday evenings starting on March 2nd and ending May 4th. We meet once a week from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about treating mental illness, how the mental health system works and coping as a family. I have found that the people who attend SFTcontribute a lot by the wealth of their own experience, but have also enjoyed getting to know and receiving support from others facing many of the same challenges.

If you would like to attend, please leave a message for me (Linda Proudfoot) on voice mail, 604-247-1884 or email lproudfoot@bcss.org. If you would like to know more about the program, please contact me and I will be happy to answer any questions. Strengthening Families Together is FREE!

VANCOUVER SUPPORT GROUP FOR FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

Next group meets on Monday, February 22, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. We meet at Raven Song Community Health Centre, 2450 Ontario Street (at W 8th) in the Partnership Room. Raven Song has a parking lot beside the building. You are welcome to attend every month or just when you need some extra support!

CONNECT

The CONNECT Art Show opens February 5th - March 20th at the Gathering Place, 609 Helmcken. This is a juried exhibition which includes over 100 works of art from the Downtown South community of Vancouver. Opening reception is Friday, Feb. 5th, 6 to 8 pm.

MORE ART- REFLECTIONS ON DREAMS AND SHADOWS

Catch this before it closes on February 6th. Artists from the Art Studio present their work at the Havana Gallery at 1212 Commercial Drive.

DON'T MISS THIS!    COMMUNITY FORUM ON MENTAL HEALTH

Join MP Hedy Fry on Tuesday, February 9th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at St. Paul's Anglican Church, 1130 Jervis Street. Family members are invited to come and speak on anything relating to mental health. We hope the collective voice of family members speaking out will make a difference to the decisions that are made affecting our mental health system.

DIALOGUE FOR RECOVERY

This very successful and stimulating exchange of opinions and ideas between family members, consumers, and staff, will be meeting on Tuesday, February 16th, from 12:30 - 2 pm at Raven Song, 2450 Ontario Street, in the basement room. TOPIC: Moving Forward: Graduating from Services. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to kyle.welton@vch.ca or call 604-708-5224.

 I sincerely hope you can find the time to attend some or all of these events. Take care!

Cheers,

Linda Proudfoot, Van/Richmond Coordinator