Anniversary tea party celebrates 100 years of the Canadian Mental Health Association

A tea party 100 years ago was commemorated across the country this week to mark a century of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
 
On February 26, 1918, as WWI was ending and great numbers of soldiers were returning with post-traumatic stress disorder, a number of influential people gathered at the home of one Mrs. Dunlap and raised $20,000. The money was used to kick-start what was originally known as the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene.
 
In Red Deer, where the organization has provided services for 55 years, the tea party’s centennial was marked at CMHA’s downtown offices.
 
Executive Director Christine Stewart says the local branch is doing well and serving an increasing number of people.
 
“I know the Homelinks program, in particular, the staff work so hard to make sure people have things like references, income sources,” she says. “Sometimes they just need a start. We have a small percentage that it would be less successful with that need a lot more support than we can offer, but the majority do quite well.”
 
The Homelinks program, which assists clients in finding and maintaining permanent housing, currently has over 70 clients.
 
CMHA Central Alberta is also still involved with the Buffalo Hotel, where staff assist with tenant conflict, medical-related reminders, and enforcing boundaries, Stewart says.
 
In total, the local CMHA branch sees more than 300 clients every year.
 
Stewart’s message to the public is to remember that mental health issues can affect anyone.
 
“It’s so easy to make a generalization about a community of people you know nothing about, until you start talking about an individual, then it’s another story because you might know that person,” she says. “Everyone we work with is a person with a familiy, with people who love them, with the opportunity to make good and bad choices. They all deserve a chance.”
 
CMHA Central Alberta will be holding a 100th anniversary luncheon on April 26, the date that the original organization was actually formed a century ago.
 
For more information, visit RedDeer.cmha.ca.