It is with our sincere appreciation that we are pleased to announce that Alberta Culture and Community Spirit awarded Calgary Association of Self Help two grants in the amount of $86,728.90. These grants will support the Writer's Club, Art Program and increase our organizational self sufficiency.

A grant of $73,351 through the Community Initiative Program will help our agency's capacity to increase organizational self sufficiency and support the Writer's Club. The Writer's Club offers our writers writing instruction and provides opportunities for them to discover and explore their creativity through the literary arts.

Another grant of $13,377.90 from the Community Spirit Program will support the Art Program, which provides art instruction and opportunities for our artists to explore their creativeity in the visual arts.

Involvement in the Writer's Club and Art Program also helps to increase our folk's self-expression, self-awareness, self-worth and confidence and helps increase and maintain their mental wellness.

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Art Program - Next semester starts in September 2010
Participants in the Art Program are given the opportunity to explore the visual arts in classes that encourage artistic expression through a variety of media and are offered at introductory to advanced levels.

Activities of Daily Living - Next session starts in September 2010
Activities of Daily Living is a program designed to teach healthy living options and daily living skills.

Participants choose the areas most relevant to their needs and gain “hands-on” experience in these areas:

• Nutrition
• Meal preparation
• Budgeting and Money management
• Household management

Initiatives- Next session starts in September 2010
The Initiatives Program is a self-development course that focuses on learning how to apply the primary skill areas of Anger Management, Stress Management, Self-esteem and Assertiveness.  This course helps participants learn to deal with their life situations more effectively.

Writer's Club - Next semester starts in September 2010
The Writer's Club program provides writing instruction and the opportunity for participants to have fun exploring their creativitiy in the literary arts.

Often our friends, family members, colleagues and neighbors who have an enduring mental illness find it almost impossible to keep or secure jobs, to have stable family lives, to do full-time studies, to socialize… in short to participate fully in society in the ways most of us take for granted. Fortunately, by accessing our programs and services, these individuals can fill their days, participate in meaningful activity, socialize, achieve a sense of accomplishment, manage financially and get help and support when it’s needed.   As you can imagine, the specialized knowledge and dedication needed to welcome and support Calgarians throughout their illness and recovery is enormous.   In reality, at Calgary Association of Self Help, our work continues 78 hours a week, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.   We couldn’t do all that we do – without your support!

We need to continue raising money to sustain our programs and services which help increase our clients’ ability to maintain their mental wellness.

Fundraising Targets April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2013:

	2011-2012	2012-2013
Resource/Activity Centre	$43,352	$53,187
Art Program	$57.354	$94,713
Writer’s Club	$48,887	$77,319
Fundraising Goal:	$149,593	$225,219

You can donate securely online: through CanadaHelps.org or follow the PayPal links on this website.

You can mail your donation to: Calgary Association of Self Help 1019 7th Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2P 1A8

You can donate over the phone by calling: 403-266-8711 ext. 247

You can ask about legacy gifts, gifts of securities, gifts in kind, and monthly gifts by calling: 403-266-8711 ext. 247

Charitable No. 10683 0078 RR0001 Tax receipts issued in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency Guidelines.

Now more than ever, it’s important for you to make every dollar count. 

So we’re sharing this list with you.

1. Donate adult clothing for necessity, warmth, style and comfort for our free clothing bank.
2. When people ask you what you want for your birthday, ask them to give a donation to promote mental wellness.
3. Offer to prepare and serve a special event meal for our folks.  Bring friends and colleagues and make it a day to remember!
4. Visit, sit and listen to someone with a mental illness.
5. Re-gift household items. Donate your books, sporting goods, electronics, CD’s and DVD’s and furniture for our Garage Sales.
6. Add a community service project or charity fundraiser or a clothing drive to your conference or event.
7. Tell someone about Calgary Association of Self Help’s mission to provide client-centered, flexible services promoting the abilities of adults with a mental illness.
8. Share your time and talents. Volunteer!  403-266-8711

Many families are finding that they need to downsize their homes or their parents’ homes – and they all have the same question – “What do we do with the furniture? The  lamps? The dishes?”   We have the solution!

Recently Brian Lehman Evaluations (http://www.whatsitworthbrian.com) was working with two Calgary families to ensure the household contents of their loved ones would stay clear of the landfill and end up in the homes of Calgarians who desperately need furniture and all the basics to make their homes comfortable.   

And that’s where Calgary Association of Self Help comes in…

Calgary Association of Self Help accepts donations of household goods, furniture and adult clothing for our free clothing bank from the general public.  Our clients volunteer their time and work with staff to sort, clean and repair or refinish donated items which are then priced and displayed for sale at our Garage Sales.  Garage Sales are held bi-weekly for the Association’s clientele as well as, semi-annual sales for the general public.  Sales are run by the volunteers with staff support.  These sales offer a rewarding experience for the volunteers and help generate funds that are used to enhance programs at Calgary Association of Self Help.

Donations are accepted Monday through Friday 8:30 – 4:30 pm at 1019 7th Avenue S.W.

• Access our back door by entering the alley between 7th and 8th Avenue and 9th and 10th Street SW; our door is clearly marked; ring the doorbell at the right of door and one of our staff will help you bring your donations into the building. 
• We do not have the capacity to pick up donations. 
• We do not accept fridges, stoves, washers, dryers, freezers and mattresses.
• If a drop-off time after hours is required or if you have any questions, please call 403-266-8711 to make arrangements.

The Alberta Government’s Community Spirit Programs http://culture.alberta.ca/communityspirit/default.aspx turns your $1 after-tax donation into $4 for Calgary Association of Self Help. It consists of two parts. 

The Enhanced Charitable Tax Credit http://culture.alberta.ca/communityspirit/taxcredit.aspx increases the Alberta portion of the personal charitable income tax credit so that the total tax credit for personal donations over $200 is 50%.  That means that giving $200 to Calgary Association of Self Help only costs you $100 after the $100 personal tax credit on your Alberta and Canada Income Tax.

The Alberta Community Spirit Donation Grant Program http://culture.alberta.ca/forms/TPRC0062GD.pdf matches up to $25,000 per year of personal donations to a charity like Calgary Association of Self Help. The donation grant will be calculated by dividing the program’s funds ($20 million) by the value of individual donations received by eligible organizations.  The donation grant will vary year to year depending on the number of program applications received and the value of cash donations.  That is incredible donation leverage for Albertans and Alberta charities.  (The Community Spirit Programs applies only to personal donations, but does not apply to corporate donations or grants).

Canada Revenue Agency: www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charities

Etiquette experts say once a gift is given, it's the recipient's to do with as they wish, whether it be returning it or re-gifting it. Good etiquette doesn't require you to keep anything, just that you are grateful when you receive it. 

If you received an article of clothing, appliances, furniture, electronics or food that you don't want or don't need but that someone else could benefit from, please consider re-gifting it to Calgary Association of Self Help’s Recycling Project and our Looking Good/Feeling Good Clothing Bank. 

We would be truly grateful. 

Last year, our client volunteers provided 343 hours to manage the free Looking Good/Feeling Good Clothing Bank.  We served 1,676 people and gave away 4,827 free articles of clothing.

Click here to check out the many ways you can get involved.

Click here to see the Globe and Mail "Breakdown" articles on the mental health crisis in our country

Calgary Association of Self Help places a high value on our relationship with you, our donors.  Without your support we would not be able to achieve our mission to promote the abilities of adults with mental illness. We thank you for your commitment to us.

We believe that transparency and accountability are essential to our success.  With this in mind, we have recently joined Imagine Canada’s Ethical Code Program.

The Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code lays out a set of standards for charitable organizations to manage and report their financial affairs responsibly.  By adhering to these standards, we are complying with generally accepted practices for soliciting and managing donor dollars.  This is important because you, our supporters, are entitled to transparency and the greatest impact possible for your investment in us.

If you have any questions about our adherence to the Ethical Code, please feel free to contact Marion McGrath, CEO or request a copy of our latest Annual Report or financial statements.  You can also download the Ethical Code itself by going to www.imaginecanada.ca.