Prospera Credit Union has donated $25,000 to Archway Community Services in Abbotsford for the third consecutive year in support of mental wellness.
The money will enable mental health first aid training for staff and additional counselling hours for clients.
Prospera first became a mental wellness partner at Archway in 2019 and has since worked with the agency to identify where they can help fill in gaps in services.
“The need for counselling has never been this high and Prospera’s support will help us address wait lists for services,” said Shairose Jinnah, the director of counselling, child, youth and family services at Archway.
“Having their consistent support over the years has made such a difference in what we can provide in our mental wellness programs.”
The increase in counselling hours will be focused on supporting women who have experienced domestic violence and on youth and their caregivers.
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Jinnah said Archway offers parenting groups, but some people found that once the group sessions ended, they had trouble implementing the strategies on their own.
Now staff can offer subsequent individual counselling for caregivers or families to help support sustained changes.
Part of the funds will support the training of staff in mental health first aid who will then be able to train other staff.
“It’s important for staff to feel competent in helping their clients through mental health challenges even if it’s not part of their official program mandate,” Jinnah said.
Niki Jelstad, director of marketing and community engagement at Prospera, said the company believes in building “vibrant, healthy communities.”
“This includes providing access to the necessary services and resources to help those most in need across our local communities,” Jelstad said.
“The last few years have been extremely difficult for many people, and we are grateful to partner with Archway and support their valuable mental wellness programs.”
Prospera has been a long-time supporter of Archway in various other ways over the last 30 years. This past December marked their 10th annual Youth Angel Tree drive to collect Christmas gifts for teenagers in low-income households.
Visit Archway.ca/Counselling for more information. Donations to support mental health initiatives can be made at Archway.ca/donate.
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