Believe In We All In Believe In You

We All Believe in You (WABIY) was started by me, Blake Loates, in 2015. I am a photographer and former psychiatric nurse who has struggled with bipolar disorder for over 20 years. I founded We All Believe in You with the purpose of photographing people with mental illnesses and sharing their stories to help decrease stigma and give others hope.

Over the past couple of years, WABIY has grown to become an online community of resources and support for over 200 people. In the group we talk about our struggles, encourage one another, discuss resources, and cheer each other on. That group combined with my own personal advocacy work has given me a strong knowledge of what people with mental illnesses need…a community. I want to build that community in Edmonton and hopefully nationally and internationally.

Unfortunately the growth of WABIY has been at a standstill due to my own mental health and because of a lack of resources. I am happy to report that my mental health has been great for over a year now. I am ready and driven to get WABIY back on track with the dreams I had for it. But to do so I need financial assistance to achieve these goals.

My goals include for WABIY include:

·      WABIY to achieve not-for-profit status and develop a strategic plan based on the education and guidance I receive in Roundhouse. That education and resources will esure that WABIY is an organization that is successful and sustainable for many years to come.

·      To find a home for WABIY operate out of and build that community. WABIY NEEDS a space to operate out of. I want a confidential but welcoming space for ALL people to have a place to feel comfortable talking about their challenges and struggles, help connect them to the resources and supports that are available (walk-in counselling, emergency medical help). I think it is important to note that I will not be offering counselling and therapy sessions as I am not registered to do so.

·      Once we secure a home for WABIY, hosting weekly WABIY support meetings to allow people to interact together and share resources and support

·      Empower people by helping them navigate the mental health system through education.  For many, finding help is paramount, but the idea of navigating a complicated system is daunting.  For a person who is mentally ill, this task can seem insurmountable.  I would meet with the individuals in the WABIY space.

·      Educational and intersectional seminars in the WABIY space that include guest speakers, experts in their field, who teach  about mental illness, suicide, and self-care tactics (mindfulness, yoga, and other effective self-care tactics). 

·      Fundraising events for local non-profits focused on mental health and mental health

·      Teaching people with mental illnesses photography as a means of expressing themselves.  Photography can be a very therapeutic hobby. Would be hosted in the WABIY space once secured.

·      Organize and host a national WABIY Mental Health Conference.


To achieve those goals I need your help, and more specifically, I need financial assistance. In order to build this community I need help from my own community. I need to raise $10,000 make this next step with WABIY.

The $10,000 would be allocated to:

1.   50% would go to securing the much needed space for WABIY. Without a space we cannot meet any of our goals we want to achieve. $5000 will be allocated to pay, upfront, a six-month lease agreement with Roundhouse. Roundhouse is a new program being offered in Grant MacEwan University. “Roundhouse empowers members to make a positive impact on the world through our coworking space, programs, resources and community of changemakers.”  More information about Roundhouse can be found at Roundhouse.net. The space is perfect for WABIY. We would have a private office to hold confidential meetings, access to a boardroom for group meetings, & access to event space for larger community fundraisers and events. Roundhouse also provides education and resources that would assist WABIY to achieve it’s goals. During this six-month period, I will be learning from the Roundhouse folks how to apply for grants and subsidies to receive funding so WABIY can stay in Roundhouse past the six-month lease commitment.

2.    $2500 I need a laptop that is dedicated to the WABIY work and is portable to and from events and meetings.

3.    $2500 The other 50% would be allocated to the start-up and operational costs of implementing the list of dreams and goals I stated above (advertising, dissemination of WABIY information, furniture, rental of the event space in Roundhouse, other miscellaneous items).

For accountability and transparency reasons, all money received is being held in-trust by a third party representative and given to me at the exact time that it is needed. I will be updating donors regularly to show where the money has been spent and the progress of  WABIY.

Also I feel that it is important to note that WABIY will be a community for all...people of all abilities, levels of wellness, skin colour, religions, sexual orientations, pronouns, and incomes. We purposely chose a location that is wheelchair accessible, centrally located, safe to bike to, and accessible to public transit. If you have any suggestions on how to increase inclusion please let me know.

For over 20 years it has been my mission to abolish the stigma associated with mental illness and give hope to those that who are struggling. From these years of working in the mental health community I know that there is a need for the services that We All Believe in You plans to offer.  But our WABIY community needs help from the larger community to make these services a reality.

Thank you for your time, consideration and donation. Anything and everything helps in such a big way. And, when our goal has been met and the WABIY space is up and running I would love to have you over for a celebration and a big ol’ Blake hug.  Again, thank you so much for your support.