If I was to go back in time and give my younger self some advice it would be this: Don’t let others tell you you can’t do it. You can do it.
International Women’s Day with Joy
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Blog
Recreation Therapy. Recreation as Therapy.
How The Alex Rec Therapists use activities to promote healing, community integration, and overall improve quality of life.
The Alex Dental Health Bus: On the road to better oral health
The Alex Dental Health Bus visits underserved communities in Calgary, educating kids ages 6-24 on the importance of dental hygiene and providing preventative services such as sealants and fluoride treatments.
Challenges and silver linings: How COVID-19 has shaped the everyday lives of front-line staff
Every day at The Alex Community Health Centre is unpredictable. Who will need us to advocate for their housing? Who will ask for a food referral? Who needs that extra time spent to just talk, and have someone listen?
RAAM Clinic: Bringing Treatment to People When They Need it Most
The Alex’s Rapid Access Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinic opened in February and has never been more vital for some than in the past year, when we’ve all faced the new – and often daunting – challenges of a pandemic.
React, Reframe, Respond
This report shines a spotlight on the incredible work The Alex has achieved over the past few months. It is a testament not only to the work we do, but the work you have done to provide critical support during this time, as funders, donors, community partners and friends.
To Market, To Market…
The Alex Community Food Centre parking lot has been transformed into an outdoor market for the coming summer months. Ensuring physical distancing, but celebrating social togetherness, the market is providing a spark of community spirit in the Greater Forest Lawn area.
Notes from the Front Lines: Fear, joy, belonging, connection.
I think the first time it hit me that life had radically changed was when I took my wedding band off permanently. The cherished piece of jewelry that my husband gave me had belonged to my husband’s grandmother and was really important to me.
Notes from the Front Lines: Bearing Witness
“What do you do for a living?”
I always find this a difficult question to answer. Mental health worker, manager, teammate, toilet cleaner, chauffeur, funeral planner, chronic crier, bed bug inspector, mover, system navigator, de-escalator, and advocate are just a few of the hats I am blessed to wear in a role I have so proudly held for the past eight years.
“I love all my Front Liners”
The note, written in beautiful cursive, and decorated with flowers, peace signs and red crosses, read “I love all my Front Liners. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made for us!”
Growing, Cooking, and Sharing during COVID-19
As the world closed its doors in late March, the staff at The Alex Community Food Centre had to look inward and ask ourselves “What does a community resource like the CFC look like without the bustling energy of our weekly meals, the laughter of the kids in our cooking classes, and the welcoming smiles of our volunteers greeting people at the doors? How do we deliver the comforts and kindness that are the values of our programs during a time of physical distancing?”
How do you self-isolate without a home?
The Assisted Self-Isolation Site (ASIS) is a collaboration between The Alex, Calgary Homeless Foundation, HomeSpace, and CUPS. The rooms are for those who have tested positive, are waiting for test results, have symptoms or have come into contact with a known case and don’t have a home where they can properly isolate. The staff provide not only medical support, but also mental health and addiction resources.