Summer 2011.indd - Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre

6 | CONNECTION Issue 29 Summer 2011 CONNECTION Issue 29 Summer 2011 | 7
How you can help the DI
Dave Tod - Manager Fund Development
Did you know…
There are many ways to make
a donation to your favourite
charity?
Most people think of writing a
cheque or using their credit card
but there are many other ways
to support the DI, fulfill your
charitable goals AND save taxes!
In each newsletter I’d like to
Dave Tod, CFRE profile how you might consider
making a donation other than
using your cheque book or credit card. And some ways
may end up costing you nothing at all!
So let me talk this month about donating life insurance.
There are a few ways to use life insurance to make a
charitable donation:
• Make the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre the
designated beneficiary of a new or existing policy.
• Transfer ownership of an existing policy to the DI,
continue to pay the premiums and receive a tax receipt
for the dollar value of each premium paid as well as any
accumulated cash value. Or let the DI pay the premiums
and the tax receipt will be for the accumulated cash
value only. Upon the death of the insured, the DI
receives the death benefit.
• Buy a new policy naming the DI as owner, pay the
premiums and receive a tax receipt for each premium
payment. Upon the death of the insured the DI receives
the death benefit.
By doing this you can create a substantial legacy gift to
the DI for pennies on the dollar. And if you have an existing
policy in effect, you can simply transfer ownership at no
cost to you – AND receive a valuable tax receipt.
If you are interested in exploring this donation opportunity
or other methods (donating stocks/securities, making a
bequest in your will, charitable gift annuities and more)
please contact Dave Tod at 403-699-8269. We will work
with you and your financial advisor to make your donation
the best fit for you.
ArtBeat
Bringing art and music to ALL the people.
Michael Frisby - Possibilities Project Coordinator
The ArtBeat project has been unfolding for the past 3 months
at the DI. It is a natural next step in the development of art
and music programs here at the centre. For the first 5 years
of the Possibilities Project, the focus has been on “client as
participant”, with a core group of DI clients, volunteers and staff
taking part in arts-based projects, events and programs. The
ArtBeat project continues to promote “client as participant”,
but also expands the context into “client as Audience”. In this
way, we are able to provide the benefits of art and music to a
broader range of clients.
ArtBeat involves 2 main areas of development.
1. The esthetic transformation of the NE wall of the 2nd floor.
2. The development of daily arts programs and weekly
musical performance.
music can soothe, heal, inspire and awaken the human spirit.
No culture in human history has ever existed that didn’t have
the power of music, song, story and visual art at the core
of its community. We need live music and beautiful pictures
in our lives and homes. For those who stay at the DI, this
is their home. The 2nd floor is their living room. They have
television, a library (Book Nook), a place to “be” – but there
is no art and music to soothe their minds, bodies and spirits.
By the time Summer has faded to Fall, this situation will have
been remedied. Art and Music programming at the DI is a
vital service. Those involved in the Possibilities Project over
the past 5 years are fully aware of that. ArtBeat will bring
that awareness into the hearts and minds of the entire DI
community.
Ten Years Within the “New DI” Louise Gallagher
In 1994 when Dermot Baldwin became Executive Director
of the Calgary Drop-In Centre, homelessness on the streets
of Calgary was on the rise. Committed to ensuring every
homeless Calgarian received respectful and compassionate
care, Dermot quickly introduced 24 hour service, added an
employment office to help clients find work and hired the
agency’s first social worker, Debbie Newman, who would
succeed him as Executive Director sixteen years later.
At that time, succession planning far in the future, Dermot
along with Debbie and the DI team focused on how best
to meet the needs of the working poor and marginalized
citizens with addictions and mental health issues who
continued to grow in number with the growing economy
and city. As the number of people seeking overnight shelter
grew, an idea formed for a bigger, more purpose-built
shelter that would offer support beyond food and shelter.
Plans were made and in September 2001, the ‘new DI’
opened, heralding a new era in meeting the needs of those
who had no place to call home.
This September will mark the ten year anniversary of the
opening of the ‘new DI”. From a dream - to build a facility
specifically designed to consolidate services from four
facilities to meet the needs of the homeless in an environment
of dignity, giving, confidentiality and respect, the “new DI”
was a state of the art centre of excellence, recognized for
its beauty and innovative approach in providing care and
service to marginalized Calgarians. At the time, the building
was designed to provide sleeping accommodations to 520
people. The dining area could accommodate 450 people
and serve 1500 meals a day. Laundry, hygiene, counseling,
and housing specific floors were opened to ensure the
physical needs of clients, regardless of their condition,
were met in a safe and respectful manner.
Ten years later, while the number of people we serve has
risen (1100 per night, 3500 meals per day), and while many
things have changed in how and what we provide our clients,
the core of the ‘new DI’ remains the same. Dignity. Respect.
Compassion. Care. These are the words we believe in.
While more people have joined the ranks of ‘the homeless’
and many faces have changed over the past ten years,
what hasn’t change is our commitment to meeting the often
complex needs of those experiencing homelessness. What
hasn’t changed is our belief in meeting each individual
where they’re at and providing them opportunities to figure
out where they want to go and how to get there.
Over the past fifty years we have learned that each
person’s journey out of homelessness begins with their
first step through our doors. Through each staff member’s
tireless commitment to greeting every individual with
compassionate care, we have created thousands upon
thousands of opportunities for people to find a way to get
home to where they want to be.
It’s what we do.
Over the past ten years, the ‘new DI’ has evolved to
ensure our service model meets the evolving needs of the
people we serve. Training programs have been expanded
to include a wood-working shop and job certifications.
Medical services have been introduced to provide clients
on-site care appropriate to their individual needs. Leisure
services have been included to ensure spirits and hearts
are fed as well as bodies and opportunities for affordable
housing have been introduced to provide hope for those
moving out of the shelter into a home of their own.
Yet, no matter how much our service model has changed,
or been enhanced, one thing has remained constant; the DI
is a place Where People Matter.
As we continue to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary and
the tenth anniversary of this building called, the ‘new DI’,
we invite you to continue to support our work in helping
those who need a hand, a meal, a place to rest, a place to
call home. Please visit our website, (www.thedi.ca) to find
out how you can sponsor a meal, volunteer your time, or
donate resources to help us make a difference in the lives
of the people we serve and our city. Thank you!