MESSS Makers Expansion-children, youth, and family

My name is Amber Raymond; I am the founder of MESSS Makers Inc. I'd like to invite you to be part of our expansion journey. MESSS makers' mission is to offer a proactive approach to overall wellbeing for people of all ages (focusing on children/youth and people in parental roles) across the Windsor, Essex and Lakeshore area. In case you didn't know, MESSS is an acronym for Motivation, Empathy, Self-awareness, Social skills, and Self-regulation. These qualities are what MESSS Makers strives to empower in clients. We currently offers 1:1 counselling year-round and unique summer play/art therapy-based programs for children. With the rapid increase in the need for mental health services, we're embarking on an expansion journey with the goals of offering more services, extending the play/art therapy programs year-round (evenings and weekends), and producing new educational workshops to ultimately help more people.

Here's a little recap for those of you who have yet to be following or involved in the evolution of MESSS Makers.

MESSS Makers started as a play/art therapy-based day camp run out of my home in response to the profound impact of the pandemic. The adverse effects of isolation and fear on children/youth/families weighed heavily on everyone's mental and emotional wellbeing (still does).

The original program was designed to help children and parents develop the tools needed to overcome the challenges of the previous couple of years and prepare for the years to come. At that moment, it was the support we all needed. The families who participated saw growth in their children by the end of the summer.

The following year, the interest in MESSS Makers grew, and a facility had to be rented from the town of Tecumseh to accommodate the increasing number of families interested in the programs. Volunteers and a program facilitator were recruited and trained.

By the third summer, the programs had evolved, and MESSS Makers had developed a reputation. Local children's mental health organizations enrolled clients and covered the cost of their programs. MESSS makers also started offering 1:1 counselling to assist people needing more individualized support.

The growth of MESSS Makers has been organic in response to the community's needs. The evolution is a testament to the deep need for proactive, accessible and comprehensive resources that address the overall health of individuals and families. Why wait until you or your loved ones see problematic behaviours and thoughts to start working towards reaching your fullest potential?

MESSS Makers is in the process of registering as a non-profit organization to reinforce our dedication to the needs of the people. We're looking to purchase a facility to reduce the cost of programs for families, offer a more extensive array of services, and reach more people in need. It's not a secret that the mental health industry needs support (there are waitlists almost everywhere, and mental and emotional struggles are increasing rapidly...) MESSS Makers offers a complimentary solution to the support we need and a proactive perspective of wellbeing.

The ultimate vision for the new facility is a space where people can come before they start experiencing problematic thoughts/behaviours, during their most demanding times and after big events have settled. MESSS makers wants to offer a space where people feel safe and supported and get the resources they need to reach their fullest potential.

What's this new facility going to offer?

Life's always throwing curveballs and has been extremely hard recently. It's time to strengthen our minds, takingcontrol of our lives, and move towards a proactive approach to mental health to prevent discomfort. If anything mentioned here has inspired you or struck a chord, please consider contributing to the expansion of MESSS Makers. Your support will go towards developing the healing/welcoming space, therapeutic materials, hiring and training professionals, parental support/resources, and so much more. Help us change the narrative of mental health and positively impact society on a grander scale.

If you want to learn more about MESSS Makers you can visit www.messsmakers.com or give me a call at [phone redacted] :)

Thanks for reading this far! check out a little review of our summer 2023 growth program1