Help fund mental health services for those in need
Donation protected
The Perseverance Fund
For many, 2020 was one of the most challenging years in modern history and so far, 2021 appears to show no signs of easing up. Whether it be the pandemic to environmental catastrophe, or political discourse to civil unrest, society has been inundated with fear, violence, mistrust, hate, sadness, division and uncertainty at every turn. To add to the propagation of bad news and anxiety being thrust upon us constantly, we are now witnessing the fallout land at nearly all our doorsteps in one way or another. A tremendous amount of good, hard working people are faced with closing the doors of their businesses for good, losing their jobs, losing their ability to keep food on the table and a roof over their family’s heads. For instance, over 10,000 restaurants (and growing) across Canada have closed permanently, meaning 100s of thousands of jobs, from that one segment alone, have been lost for good. We may all be weathering the same storm, but some people are riding in luxury yachts, others have a 2 x 4 to cling too, while many may simply be treading water until they cannot any further. The hard truth is, the pandemic has disproportionately affected people based on their socio-economic status, their geographic location, the domain of their occupation and their subsequent access to resources.
Understandably, the financial burden, fear for personal health and health of loved ones, loss of control and faculty for one’s own life, and simply the continued stream of negativity has taken as serious toll on people’s mental health. With suicide hotline calls and overdose rates increasing approximately 600% and 300% to 'normative' levels, dramatically increasing rates of domestic violence, and month over month record sales of alcohol, it is very clear the burden on people’s mental health everywhere is increasing with no end in sight and no concrete pathway to rectifying the collateral damage. Negatively associated coping mechanisms are on the rise, yet we see forums of positive self-care being stripped away, such as fitness and recreational sport facilities forced into closure, which for many, are places of both physical and mental therapy in their own right.
Admittedly, I am one of the individuals who found themselves spiralling into patterns of anxiety, uncertainty and anger. My mental outlets have always been associated to physical activity, sport competition and social interaction. The moment those got stripped away I begun to find myself losing the tools for exhausting my busy mind and body. I finally hit a breaking point and recognized that what I was seeing in myself was not what or who I strive to be. I have always been prideful of my 'strength' and ability to overcome stress, so to find myself being broken down by it all was a rude awakening. Witnessing friends struggle to make ends meet, struggle to keep their families fed, turning to drugs, alcohol and erratic behaviour because they were forced to close their doors, or lose a job to no fault of their own is heart breaking and I started to burden myself with the pain of everything around me out of fear that I would not be able to protect my own family from such unfair circumstances.
Fortunately, due to the strength and support of my family I reached out for professional help. I was nervous, I felt weak, I felt like less of a man, but I kept reminding myself that a sign of true strength is seeking help in the face of your own perceptions. I recognized that I must first regain control of my thoughts and actions, so I unplugged from social media, unplugged from the news and put my focus on reconnecting to what is important to me, my family, my friends, my work and my health.
After some time, some professional help and some serious reckoning with my own ego, I began to step out of the fog and gain some clarity. In doing so, I came to the conclusion that I am the best version of myself when I am helping people. The wheels began to spin! How can I help, who needs help, what can I do? Well, through conversations with a number of people in my life that have been truly affected by lockdowns and closures, far more than myself I must admit, who were also struggling to mentally cope, I began to share my actions of seeking help and the positive outcomes in doing so. Nearly every single one of them replied the same, "I would get some help, but I can't afford it, I can't even afford the necessities right now". Of course they cannot, they are trying to keep their livelihood intact, how on earth would they afford the cost of one-on-one professional mental care? My initial response is to offer some financial assistance, but I only have so much to give myself; however, this began to make the light bulb flicker. What if I created a fund to help people receive mental health support that simply cannot financially prioritize this for themselves right now? They have never needed it more than this moment, yet have never had less of an opportunity to pay for it.
So, here I sit, deciding I am putting my money where my mouth is. I am going to put up $500 of my own money to kick things off. My goal is to initially raise 10k, with hopes of growth beyond that, to help support people in our communities who have been affected financially by the pandemic, to help them receive mental health services through these trying times.
To begin, I have reached out and aligned with two professionals who will be the primary resource contributors and counsellors available for those in need. Teresa Schmidt of Restorative Steps Counselling Services in Smithers BC & David Minor of Solidarity Coaching & Counselling in Vancouver BC have both been graciously teamed up with me in this initiative to provide personal and anonymous counselling; as well as, support resources, self-care strategies and a litany of other literature and information pertaining to the care of our mental health. Both provide support for adults and youth, in person and virtually; therefore, ease of accessibility should not be a challenge.
How this works:
- Collection of donations with an initial target, but not limited to, $10,000 through go fund me. Upon achieving $2,500, the payment service will become active and finances will become available for support.
- If you, or a family member of any age is in need of mental health support, they may reach out to Teresa or David via their linked contact information to set up a consultation. (Note: Practitioner pool may grow as needed)
- If you choose to contact me personally about fund support you are welcome to; however, I will only be acting as a directing source to professionals and you are not obligated to share any information with me. However, if you feel comfortable indicating your need I am more than happy to listen and all shared information will remain confidential, with the exception of sharing pertinent information to allocated practitioner.
- Upon consultation agreement with the practitioner of your choice you will disclose this service is in need of financial support from the fund due to circumstances pertaining to the pandemic.
- If deemed eligible for support by chosen practitioner they will submit an anonymous bill to Jamie McCartney to be paid for by the fund.
- All information will remain confidential and will not be shared on any invoices, communications or conversations. Only the outstanding balance and that it is fund eligible will be recorded.
- Running tallies of funds being raised will be shared regularly through social media and be publicly available at any time. Anonymity of donations is at preference of the donor through the go fund me site.
- Upon reaching $2500 start up goal and subsequent release of funds for those in need, a weekly update of how many people have been supported by the fund will be provided publicly. Note, no personal information of the supported will be shared at any time, unless indicated to do so by the individual themselves via testimonial, or done so under their own volition.
- Funds will be allocated to support an individual for up to 6 sessions initially. For instance, 2 sessions per month for 3 months. If need is indicated by the practitioner and funds remain to be available, we will evaluate on a case-by-case basis to extend support as needed, if possible.
- The vetting process for need is hinged primarily on an honour system as we will not investigate financial capacity of each individual. We hope that this fund will reach those truly in need and we ask that you do not take away from someone who truly needs the financial support in such times of need.
Counsellor Contact:
Teresa Schmidt RTC
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor (ACCT #ID: 2225)
Restorative Steps Counselling Services
www.restorativesteps.com
(250) [phone redacted]
Licensed across Canada
David Minor
Registered Social Worker (#14353)
Solidarity Coaching & Counselling
www.solidaritycoach.com
(604) [phone redacted]
Licensed in B.C. & Alberta
I truly believe, if this fund can help even 10 people, it is a worthy cause and is a true testament to how we should care for one another in our communities and throughout society. If we truly intend to come out the other side of this to a better tomorrow, we must attend to our mental and physical well-being first and foremost. For some this is a possibility, for others an ever-distancing reality; therefore, we must take it upon ourselves to help those in need find their feet on the ground once again. If we can reach 5000 people with this and each one donates $2, we have reached our initial goal. If that is possible, I believe our ability to reach much further is not only a reality, but a necessity.
Thank you all for hearing me out. If you can donate, anything helps, if you can share, please do. Someone out there needs our help, and we owe it to them, their family and their friends to ensure they can receive the support they need. We all need a helping hand once in a while.
Jamie D. McCartney
For many, 2020 was one of the most challenging years in modern history and so far, 2021 appears to show no signs of easing up. Whether it be the pandemic to environmental catastrophe, or political discourse to civil unrest, society has been inundated with fear, violence, mistrust, hate, sadness, division and uncertainty at every turn. To add to the propagation of bad news and anxiety being thrust upon us constantly, we are now witnessing the fallout land at nearly all our doorsteps in one way or another. A tremendous amount of good, hard working people are faced with closing the doors of their businesses for good, losing their jobs, losing their ability to keep food on the table and a roof over their family’s heads. For instance, over 10,000 restaurants (and growing) across Canada have closed permanently, meaning 100s of thousands of jobs, from that one segment alone, have been lost for good. We may all be weathering the same storm, but some people are riding in luxury yachts, others have a 2 x 4 to cling too, while many may simply be treading water until they cannot any further. The hard truth is, the pandemic has disproportionately affected people based on their socio-economic status, their geographic location, the domain of their occupation and their subsequent access to resources.
Understandably, the financial burden, fear for personal health and health of loved ones, loss of control and faculty for one’s own life, and simply the continued stream of negativity has taken as serious toll on people’s mental health. With suicide hotline calls and overdose rates increasing approximately 600% and 300% to 'normative' levels, dramatically increasing rates of domestic violence, and month over month record sales of alcohol, it is very clear the burden on people’s mental health everywhere is increasing with no end in sight and no concrete pathway to rectifying the collateral damage. Negatively associated coping mechanisms are on the rise, yet we see forums of positive self-care being stripped away, such as fitness and recreational sport facilities forced into closure, which for many, are places of both physical and mental therapy in their own right.
Admittedly, I am one of the individuals who found themselves spiralling into patterns of anxiety, uncertainty and anger. My mental outlets have always been associated to physical activity, sport competition and social interaction. The moment those got stripped away I begun to find myself losing the tools for exhausting my busy mind and body. I finally hit a breaking point and recognized that what I was seeing in myself was not what or who I strive to be. I have always been prideful of my 'strength' and ability to overcome stress, so to find myself being broken down by it all was a rude awakening. Witnessing friends struggle to make ends meet, struggle to keep their families fed, turning to drugs, alcohol and erratic behaviour because they were forced to close their doors, or lose a job to no fault of their own is heart breaking and I started to burden myself with the pain of everything around me out of fear that I would not be able to protect my own family from such unfair circumstances.
Fortunately, due to the strength and support of my family I reached out for professional help. I was nervous, I felt weak, I felt like less of a man, but I kept reminding myself that a sign of true strength is seeking help in the face of your own perceptions. I recognized that I must first regain control of my thoughts and actions, so I unplugged from social media, unplugged from the news and put my focus on reconnecting to what is important to me, my family, my friends, my work and my health.
After some time, some professional help and some serious reckoning with my own ego, I began to step out of the fog and gain some clarity. In doing so, I came to the conclusion that I am the best version of myself when I am helping people. The wheels began to spin! How can I help, who needs help, what can I do? Well, through conversations with a number of people in my life that have been truly affected by lockdowns and closures, far more than myself I must admit, who were also struggling to mentally cope, I began to share my actions of seeking help and the positive outcomes in doing so. Nearly every single one of them replied the same, "I would get some help, but I can't afford it, I can't even afford the necessities right now". Of course they cannot, they are trying to keep their livelihood intact, how on earth would they afford the cost of one-on-one professional mental care? My initial response is to offer some financial assistance, but I only have so much to give myself; however, this began to make the light bulb flicker. What if I created a fund to help people receive mental health support that simply cannot financially prioritize this for themselves right now? They have never needed it more than this moment, yet have never had less of an opportunity to pay for it.
So, here I sit, deciding I am putting my money where my mouth is. I am going to put up $500 of my own money to kick things off. My goal is to initially raise 10k, with hopes of growth beyond that, to help support people in our communities who have been affected financially by the pandemic, to help them receive mental health services through these trying times.
To begin, I have reached out and aligned with two professionals who will be the primary resource contributors and counsellors available for those in need. Teresa Schmidt of Restorative Steps Counselling Services in Smithers BC & David Minor of Solidarity Coaching & Counselling in Vancouver BC have both been graciously teamed up with me in this initiative to provide personal and anonymous counselling; as well as, support resources, self-care strategies and a litany of other literature and information pertaining to the care of our mental health. Both provide support for adults and youth, in person and virtually; therefore, ease of accessibility should not be a challenge.
How this works:
- Collection of donations with an initial target, but not limited to, $10,000 through go fund me. Upon achieving $2,500, the payment service will become active and finances will become available for support.
- If you, or a family member of any age is in need of mental health support, they may reach out to Teresa or David via their linked contact information to set up a consultation. (Note: Practitioner pool may grow as needed)
- If you choose to contact me personally about fund support you are welcome to; however, I will only be acting as a directing source to professionals and you are not obligated to share any information with me. However, if you feel comfortable indicating your need I am more than happy to listen and all shared information will remain confidential, with the exception of sharing pertinent information to allocated practitioner.
- Upon consultation agreement with the practitioner of your choice you will disclose this service is in need of financial support from the fund due to circumstances pertaining to the pandemic.
- If deemed eligible for support by chosen practitioner they will submit an anonymous bill to Jamie McCartney to be paid for by the fund.
- All information will remain confidential and will not be shared on any invoices, communications or conversations. Only the outstanding balance and that it is fund eligible will be recorded.
- Running tallies of funds being raised will be shared regularly through social media and be publicly available at any time. Anonymity of donations is at preference of the donor through the go fund me site.
- Upon reaching $2500 start up goal and subsequent release of funds for those in need, a weekly update of how many people have been supported by the fund will be provided publicly. Note, no personal information of the supported will be shared at any time, unless indicated to do so by the individual themselves via testimonial, or done so under their own volition.
- Funds will be allocated to support an individual for up to 6 sessions initially. For instance, 2 sessions per month for 3 months. If need is indicated by the practitioner and funds remain to be available, we will evaluate on a case-by-case basis to extend support as needed, if possible.
- The vetting process for need is hinged primarily on an honour system as we will not investigate financial capacity of each individual. We hope that this fund will reach those truly in need and we ask that you do not take away from someone who truly needs the financial support in such times of need.
Counsellor Contact:
Teresa Schmidt RTC
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor (ACCT #ID: 2225)
Restorative Steps Counselling Services
www.restorativesteps.com
(250) [phone redacted]
Licensed across Canada
David Minor
Registered Social Worker (#14353)
Solidarity Coaching & Counselling
www.solidaritycoach.com
(604) [phone redacted]
Licensed in B.C. & Alberta
I truly believe, if this fund can help even 10 people, it is a worthy cause and is a true testament to how we should care for one another in our communities and throughout society. If we truly intend to come out the other side of this to a better tomorrow, we must attend to our mental and physical well-being first and foremost. For some this is a possibility, for others an ever-distancing reality; therefore, we must take it upon ourselves to help those in need find their feet on the ground once again. If we can reach 5000 people with this and each one donates $2, we have reached our initial goal. If that is possible, I believe our ability to reach much further is not only a reality, but a necessity.
Thank you all for hearing me out. If you can donate, anything helps, if you can share, please do. Someone out there needs our help, and we owe it to them, their family and their friends to ensure they can receive the support they need. We all need a helping hand once in a while.
Jamie D. McCartney
Organizer
Jamie McCartney
Organizer
Smithers, BC
