S.T.E.P.S. (Striving To Empower Personal Survival) Fund
The S.T.E.P.S. (Striving To Empower Personal Survival) Fund will provide grants to support projects and/or programs that address the issues of mental illness and offers intervention and care leading to recovery.
Our S.T.E.P.S. Fund has now been in service since 2013:
- In 2014 – 2015 recipients received $500.00
- In 2016 recipients received $1,000.00
- In 2017 recipients will receive $3,000.00
At present our Fund is supporting:
- Pathways Clubhouse in Richmond, in the process of building a New Clubhouse
- Vancouver Coastal Health – Consumers for unexpected bills, such as moving costs
- British Columbia Schizophrenia Society – Respite Care, when family member has to leave for a few days
- UBC – Brain Research
All of these recipients address mental health and wellness. We can add or subtract from this list at any time and would appreciate hearing from you, our supporters. Please send comments to: give@vancity.com.
With your generous support we will be able to give more in 2018!
Bonnie, Marcia, Kathy, Debbie, Corinne, Louise
A bit about the Fund creator, Bonnie Olsen:
Bonnie has now been married for more than 50 years. Thirty of these years have been dedicated to the involvement of mental health issues. She has served on many advocacy family groups for children and adults that suffer some form of mental illness. To list a few, these are Anxiety, Depression, Bi-Polar, Substance Abuse, and Schizophrenia. During those 30 years Bonnie has seen little or no change neither for people that suffer, nor for their families.
This year 2013, she realized that she is fortunate enough to have an Investment Portfolio that has increased in value. She also realized that some of her Funds could be used to benefit those she has been striving to help all these years, TODAY rather than TOMORROW.
Bonnie had the name S.T.E.P.S. already picked out while working on a committee that was attempting to end homelessness. Her wish is that S.T.E.P.S. can be a Blessing to those that suffer.
The volunteer Board of Directors for S.T.E.P.S must work hard to make sure that another 30 years does not pass by without some improvement for those that suffer a Mental Illness and for their families.
Thank you to Vancity Community Foundation for giving us this opportunity to establish this Charitable Fund.
Love to all.