Annual Campaign total to date
SSA's Annual Campaign goal is to raise $110, 000 by December 31, 2016. These funds are critical to SSA's mission and ensure our programs and services continue to be available at no cost to all 1 in 100 Albertans affected by schizophrenia.
Special Message from SSA Provincial Executive Director, Rubyann Rice
I want to tell you how shocked I was, when the man who installed the SSA sign on our building, told us his brother has lived with schizophrenia for the past 12 years, and they had never heard of our organization. I never want that to happen again!
The truth is, this man’s brother was from Rainbow Lake, a rural community in Alberta and a year ago he wouldn’t have been able to access our programs even if he had heard of the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta (SSA). He would have fallen through the cracks and he and his family would not have received SSA’s support to help him on his path to recovery. That was before we implemented Online Programming.
Now that has changed… we wanted to do our part to close this gap, so we started a new service last year. Online Programming is a free online service that hosts interactive SSA programs in a secure environment that anyone can join at no cost -no matter where they live in Alberta.
Since we started, Online programming has provided support to many rural and urban communities where SSA branches don’t exist including; Elk Point, Taber, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie – just to name a few. This program is very successful and quickly increased SSA’s profile throughout Alberta. Now hospitals, care facilities and other mental health professionals know about SSA and refer their clients to our programs regularly.
In fact, families from China and Australia have joined us on our Online Family Support group because they have family with schizophrenia living in Alberta!
How amazing it is, that technology can help us instill hope, provide education, peer support and resources - the tools needed for recovery.
The online programs are;
- Online Peer Support
- Family and Caregiver Educational Forum
- Online Family Support
- Your Recovery Journey Series
- Strengthening Families Together Series
“The peer support programs are facilitated by clients living successfully with schizophrenia. SSA employs over 200 individuals living with schizophrenia in various positions”
But we didn’t stop there - this past year we created a new website that’s easy to navigate and find support for clients, families and caregivers. We’ve also formed strong viable relationships with government and community stakeholders who are learning more about the vital impact SSA’s programs and services have on the wellness of our Alberta communities.
This means we are growing and increasing our participation quickly and we can’t slow down now…
Schizophrenia affects 34, 000 Albertans
SSA provided support to over 22,000 Albertans last year
Our goal for this year is to ensure everyone is aware of SSA and that ALL Albertans affected by schizophrenia have access to SSA’s programs
This is where we are asking for our communities help by making a donation of $100, $500, $1000 or whatever you can afford.
Thank you for taking time to read this message, allowing me to share SSA’s successes and challenges with you.
Warm Regards,
Rubyann Rice, Provincial Executive Director
