To continue our participation in the City of Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Community Investments Table. This table includes the City of Calgary, United Way of Calgary and Area, Hunter Family Fund, Calgary Health Foundation, Carthy Foundation, Viewpoint Foundation, and the Calgary Homeless Foundation. Funds are pooled and distributed to community organizations to test innovative ideas that bring changes at the individual, family, community, and policy or system levels to address mental health and addiction issues experienced by Calgarians. Our contribution allows us to sit at the decision-making table as to where they funds are most needed, and provides great opportunities for our own learning and for us to demonstrate leadership.
Action Dignity is partnering with The Centre for Newcomers to develop a new space that will be available to emerging ethnocultural groups (mostly black and racially-led nonprofits) who need a space for programming but don’t require a fulltime location. The space itself is located in the same strip mall as Centre for Newcomers and therefore is easily accessible by transit. Funding would go toward renovating the space, utilities, and some overhead costs. Potential tenant organizations include: The Immigrant Outreach Society, Best Help Family Foundation, Oladele Cancer Foundation, The Calgary Ethiopian Youth Alliance, YYC Eritrean, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean Students Association, South Sudanese Community Association.
DJD have been offered an outstanding opportunity and been invited to perform at Jacob’s Pillow – a highly respected competition that will undoubtedly elevate DJD’s presence on the world stage and allow them to draw higher caliber dancers/choreographers/artists in the future. This is great news for the Calgary dance community.
In support of the event on March 31, 2023.
In support of the event on March 31, 2023.
The Canadian Liver Foundation is enhancing their ‘Living with Liver Disease Program’ (LWLD), which focuses on the negative impact of drinking, on and mental health, liver health, and the increase in the number of alcoholic hepatitis cases brought on by the global pandemic. The program is designed to benefit people affected by liver disease (including caregivers), and includes a virtual and in-person option to eliminate access barriers. The program features mental health, liver health specialists, and dietitians, from Calgary’s liver clinics. The goal is to provide people living with liver disease, and their caregivers, a safe environment to share their stories and receive information on the latest treatment updates from industry experts.
RVF needs to revise and update its mission, vision and values. This need has been identified as part of a recent strategic planning process. Specifically, the mission and vision statements have evolved to limit the work of the Foundation to affordable housing for seniors. In fact, the Foundation was established in 1964 with a mandate to provide affordable housing for all, not just seniors. The board agrees that even the name does not fully capture the work RVF can do in the communities it serves. Therefore, we are seeking funding to retain an external contractor to assist leadership to review and update the vision, mission and values statements that representative of the work RVF does in the community today and plans to do into the future.
The goal is to update and strengthen the governance of the Society. Covid has led to a diminishment of SALTS’ governance capacity. At the same time, the complexity and responsibilities of the organization have grown requiring greater sophistication. Due to our work, SALTS has a membership and Board of Directors that is dispersed across southern Alberta. In the past our AGMs and many board meetings were held in-person which facilitated board engagement, retention, and recruitment. After two years online, this engagement has been negatively impacted resulting in a serious need to ramp up our governance work. SALTS plans to hire a consultant to work with us to develop and improve key governance policies, processes, and board recruitment.
Synergy’s Executive Director and Founder is retiring as of June 30th. Over the past eight months the agency has been preparing three core staff to take over the ED’s duties as a Leadership Team. Synergy believes it would benefit from the objective wisdom of a consultant to evaluate our current state of readiness, make go forward recommendations and offer coaching in the areas of leadership development, team relationships and positive workplace culture development. The project would begin on April 1, 2023, and continue for three months following the ED’s retirement date of June 30, 2023 in order for the Leadership Team to have the advice and support they will need whilst establishing the agency’s new Leadership structure.
Twelve, self-contained, one-bedroom units of affordable housing, AFCC, in consultation with its design team and informed by its Elder’s, has created an Indigenous owned and operated building designed from the ground up to provide safe and dignified accommodation for Indigenous seniors. Two of the units will be fully accessible and two additional units are designed to be adaptable for barrier free occupancy, allowing for maximum optimization for residents whose mobility needs could change in time. The building is designed to be durable with a robust building envelope. The energy consumption will be 40 to 45% below the Alberta Building Code requirements and will be augmented with solar voltaic panels. The land blessing ceremony occurred in January 2022 and construction commenced in May 2022. The anticipated completion is May 2023. Additionally, AFCC, Elder Reg Crow Shoe (CM) and Rose Crow Shoe (CM), wishes to honour the significant cultural contributions of Canada’s First Nations and Indigenous peoples by providing a variety of Indigenous art work. Furthermore, the intent is to invite local Indigenous artists to provide artwork, artifacts, sculptures, and other interpretative works to create a living culture with tangible links to the Indigenous community. See attached suggested request for proposals for local Indigenous artists. The amenity and gathering space have been envisioned as a multi-purpose area for cultural activities, teaching, knowledge circle, and ceremonies. The opportunity to provide special rug as a central focus and other accessories to create a unique environment for spiritual healing, and knowledge transfer. See attached suggested request for proposal for local indigenous artist. The current project funding is for hard and soft costs only. Appliances are currently unfunded. To offer a truly dignified living environment for seniors, We would like to furnish all the suites with. a curated package : bedding, furnishings, appliances, cookware, and other household items provided to each unit has been designed to reflect the overall respect we have for the Elder’s of the community. A turnkey, fully furnished housing solution allows for the assurance of safety, comfort, and dignity to the residents. Given the timing of the anticipated completion date of May 2023, we believe this aligns perfectly with the timing of the Calgary Foundation.