An ongoing mental health and wellness initiative has received funding in Burns Lake. Heather Megchelsen, Regional Co-ordinator with the Family Alliance on Mental Illness, has been successful in taking advantage of a $10,000 offering from Northern Health.
“One of the things that people feel strongly about is that there are no mental-health club houses,” said Megchelsen. “So we decided in Burns Lake that we would address that.”
Megchelsen has made her office space available in the Muriel Mould building for a weekly Wellness Activity Centre. Although she expects users of the program to be primarily made up of those living with mental illness or addictions, she said that it’s not meant to exclude anyone who might feel that a place like this might help them.
“It’s for building up people’s social support and wellness,” she said. “Anyone is welcome to attend. It’s for people who might be feeling isolated who want a safe place to socialize.”
Besides the money to fund the initiative, Northern Health also donated a flat screen TV, a DVD player, and a Nintendo 'Wii' Player. The Burns Lake thrift store and the food bank have both made donations of kitchen hardware and grocery gift certificates to local supermarkets. A private donation of a foosball table was also made.
For now, the centre will host sessions every Tuesday. There will be games days, soup and socials, a peer support group, and other activities.
For more information contact Megchelsen at 250-692-7500.