Turning Leaf Community Support Services 3.3

Turning Leaf (Inc.) is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing crisis and treatment services to those experiencing intellectual challenge and mental illness.

These services are made up of caring, skilled community members.

These Turning Leaf community members are dedicated to helping those experiencing intellectual challenge and mental illness. They are also deeply committed to working with the participant in addressing the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that those experiencing intellectual challenge and/or mental illness face every day: discrimination, poverty, stigma, isolation, loneliness.

Introducing the Fallen Leaf Fund

The Fallen Leaf Fund is a fund established by Turning Leaf (Inc.) in 2012 designed to raise money to ensure critical services – crisis counselling, safe housing for women at risk, and addictions treatment – can be provided to those living with mental illness and intellectual challenge. The recipients of these services are often those who have fallen through the cracks in our system.

Click here to make a donation: http://turningleafservices.com/get-involved/donations/

Donovan is a perfect example of someone falling through the cracks.

Donovan was born in Winkler, Manitoba to proud parents. In his teens, Donovan started having difficulty in school, losing friends, and acting erratically. Though he tried very hard to keep it a secret, Donovan could no longer hide when he was hearing the “voices” in his head. It wasn’t until he was 23 that he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia but by that time, Donovan was living at a homeless shelter, had pending criminal charges and was disconnected from his praying family back home.

Because of the dollars coming to Turning Leaf from Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Manitoba, Donovan lives in a safe place, is taking medication that help the “voices,” and is no longer isolated and lonely.

“I never would have thought that I could live a normal life.”
-Donovan

Read more stories here: http://turningleafservices.com/category/blog/

Why do people fall through the cracks?

It’s hard to believe that close to 1 in 5 Canadians are affected by mental illness and unfortunately due to social stigma many go undiagnosed. As well, many, although diagnosed, don’t pursue or receive treatment and help for their mental illness. Why? Many don’t qualify for treatment services for some reason, the wait to get in for help are too long and they give up, or they can’t read or don’t understand (due to their intellectual deficits) the expectations of treatment. The next thing you know, they are without help and in a worse place than before. These are the individuals that slip through the cracks of government-funded services and are forced to deal with the pain of their mental illness alone.

Please help us continue to help those who are in desperate need of Turning Leaf Community Support Services Inc.