"It's going to be the coolest van ever!" says the executive director of the Battlefords Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Jan Zielke was describing the van the organization hopes to take possession of in mid-November to replace its current vehicle, which Zielke describes as being in "horrendous shape."
After a round of fundraising and donations collected, the $45,000 van is nearly paid for. The North Battleford Lions Club presented a cheque for $2,000 last week, and Zielke has also sold advertising spots on the van itself, which will give it a look all its own.
The old van, which is used for the CMHA's Training Employment Program, is in terrible shape, said Zielke. It often has no heat, no air conditioning and is frequently breaking down.
"Its all over the place in the Battlefords," said Zielke, "but it just has been falling apart and repair after repair after repair."
The people in the program who use the van are an extremely tolerant group, said Zielke.
The van is used for hauling lawn mowers in the summer and used for flyer delivery all year.
Zielke said the CHMA is one of seven organizations affected by a 2009 government decision that non-profit groups would no longer be able to access the province's Central Vehicle Agency. That meant buying their own van. Now, it needs replacing.
About $34,000 of the total has been raised, including a $10,600 cheque from the Kinsmen Foundation of Saskatchewan. Zielke said she applied to the foundation with the view that able-bodied people with mental illness are coping with a disability, just as the physically disabled must.
While the Kinsmen Foundation and its Telemiracle fundraiser is best known for funding equipment for use by the physically disabled and for travel costs incurred while seeking treatment, Executive Director Joan Steckhan told the News-Optimist last week funding such as that which has been granted to the Battlefords CMHA is a reflection of the board's commitment to a whole health concept of helping people find better quality of life, independence and a place in the community.
Steckhan said providing funding to help day programs such as the CMHA's employment training program is one way the foundation can improve access for people to participate in the community differently.
Zielke describes the CMHA as an organization that supports people with mental illness, works to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and tries to create better awareness in the community of the importance of mental health.
It is funded mainly through the Prairie North Health Region, with funds directed through the Ministry of Health.
The Employment Training Program includes property care such as mowing, sweeping and shovelling. CMHA also offers life skills training, social recreational programs, tour programs to provide affordable vacations for people who would normally not be able to go away, a seniors' program and a drop in centre.
Often, said Zielke, it's the first organization people phone when they don't know how to navigate the system or who to call if they need counselling.
The Battlefords branch of the CMHA is located at 1101 - 103rd St. in North Battleford.
