South Halton Café Opens
With the assistance of Category C funding, STRIDE has opened a small café within our Oakville site. Category C funding is an initiative whereby the Region of Halton, in partnership with United Ways in Halton, provides one-time funding to community based agencies. Our new café offers clients and staff with a small variety of reasonably priced beverages & snacks during breaks and lunch. The operation of the café provides various clients the opportunity to develop several of the necessary skills for future employment in food service and/or the retail industry. The support provided by STRIDE staff assists clients in operating many aspects of the business. A brief questionnaire recently distributed to clients provided very positive feedback regarding the café and offered suggestions regarding the future of the business. This is a very exciting initiative for the agency.

IBM Technology Donation Program
STRIDE’s application to the IBM Corporation–Technology Donation Program, administered through the United Way of Oakville, has been approved. IBM seeks to improve information management, and computer access & training for community programs through its Technology Donation Program for charitable organizations. Each year, through this grant, IBM provides three agencies with equipment to support their various efforts. STRIDE is very pleased to receive the donation of an IBM ThinkCentre Desktop which will assist us in enhancing our agency services.

‘Way To Your Future’ Program
The ‘Way To Your Future’ program is a new initiative aimed at helping Halton youth at risk of not graduating high school with an alternative learning experience by offering job-specific training, certification, and transition to meaningful employment. It is a joint initiative between Goodwill-The Amity Group, the Halton District School Board, and the United Way of Milton. STRIDE will be offering Fork-Lift Training opportunities to interested students of this program. Training includes both written and practical components. Upon successful completion of this course, candidates receive their Fork-Lift Certification, thereby providing students with excellent training necessary for a variety of employment positions.

Employment Resource Centers
STRIDE would like to remind individuals that we currently have three Employment Resource Centers located throughout Halton. These centers are supportive, client-focused facilities serving individuals facing mental health issues who are seeking employment. We are here to provide clients with the assistance and resources they need to work towards their employment goals. The centers consist of a collection of books, brochures, videos, newspapers, assessment/training manuals & business directories. We also provide the necessary assistance for individuals to prepare resumes, cover letters, and to conduct a complete job search and career exploration. For more information regarding our Resource Centers, please refer to the ‘Contact STRIDE’ section of our website for the location nearest you.

Category C Funding
Category C Funding is an initiative whereby the Region of Halton, in partnership with United Ways in Halton, provide one-time funding to community based agencies, self-help, or grass roots agencies within the Halton Region. This funding is to be used for operating expenses, projects or small capital purchases. STRIDE is very pleased to announce that we will receive $1,250 in Category C funding to purchase various items required in our Rehabilitation Work Sites, specifically equipment & supplies for the lunch room areas.

Get a Quote
STRIDE has successfully launched its new web site which has been re-designed to optimally meet the needs of each of our target audiences. The site has been enhanced to facilitate easy access, including a clearer lay-out, simplified navigation, and improved search functions to secure necessary information.

In addition, the site features a vastly improved design to assist potential packaging & assembly customers to obtain the information they require. On our web site, visit the Packaging & Assembly page for a complete list of the services we provide, and then click on ‘Get a Quote’. Simply enter in the required information and submit. A member of the STRIDE Management Team will respond to your request within 2 business days with a quote and provide you with the necessary assistance to fulfill all your packaging & assembly needs.

Executive Director of CMHA National Visits STRIDE
Glenn Thompson, Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), National Office recently visited the South Halton STRIDE Site. Mr. Thompson has recently returned from a 2-year consulting contract in Nunivik. Prior to this he was Executive Director of the Ontario Division, CMHA. Mr. Thompson has held several Deputy Minister Positions in the Ontario Government before getting involved with the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Mr. Thompson was very impressed with the fact that we offered both a Supported Employment and a Work Site Program thereby providing a combination of experiences for individuals seeking assistance in addressing their vocational goals. He noted that our range of services is quite different from that offered by most other agencies in the mental health field. He also commented on the wide variety of contracts available in the Work Site. Mr. Thompson was pleased to hear that we were part of the Pan-Canada Multi-University Survey monitoring the effectiveness of Supported Employment programs.

He remarked that he would look for opportunities to create greater awareness for STRIDE and suggested that an article in CMHA’s national magazine, Network, might be an option in the future. STRIDE would like to express our thanks to Mr. Thompson for visiting our agency and we look forward to working together as we continue to promote employment as the key to promoting recovery for individuals facing mental health issues.

STRIDE Acquires New Passenger Van
STRIDE has purchased a new Passenger Van for our South Halton site. With funds provided by the Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care, a 2007 Dodge Caravan is now available for clients traveling from Burlington who are interested in participating in our program. For a minimal cost of $2.00/trip, individuals are provided with a safe method of transportation to our training site, which is located at 2245 Wyecroft Road in Oakville. The van will also be utilized for transporting small contracts and packaging jobs to assist in meeting the needs of our customers. For further information regarding accessing our passenger van, please contact Mark Cox, our South Halton Manager at 905-842-7248.

Pan-Canada Research Project on Supported Employment
STRIDE has been chosen to participate in a 3-year research project along with 14 vocational agencies & involving Universities of British Columbia, Laval, McGill, Toronto and Simon Fraser. The purpose of the project is to evaluate the effectiveness of supported employment programs for individuals with severe mental illness in three Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec). The first phase of the research began in the fall with an in-depth interview about our Supported Employment program.

The next stage will consist of individual assessments whereby Supported Employment clients will be given a chance to be part of the study. Another aspect of the project is a discussion with each Employment Specialist to discuss various aspects of their job. The final component is an organizational analysis, whereby two agencies from each of the three provinces will be selected for an in-depth organizational analysis. STRIDE is very pleased to be involved in this project which will bring a new understanding of the key factors related to the implementation of Supported Employment programs offered to people with severe mental illness in three Canadian provinces and therefore have relevance across Canada.