April 2, 2012
(Vancouver, BC): John Massam, Peer Support Coordinator for Coast Mental Health, contacted Square One after learning about its free umbrella giveaway events. John was interested in securing 50 umbrellas for a new program that Coast was developing. Square One was more than happy to support this cause. John’s thank you letter follows:
Re: Donation of umbrellas
On behalf of not only Coast, but also the Peer Worker Program, we would like to express our gratitude for your donation of 50 umbrellas to our new Peer Diabetes Support Program! People with lived experience of Mental Illness are contracting Diabetes at twice the rate of the average population.
This new program for our agency will train 8 to 10 people with lived experience of Mental Illness and Diabetes whom will them turn around in 4 of our 20+ sites and provide education and support to between 8 and 10 individuals at each site.
Our goal is to not only provide education information about Diabetes but also look at diet and exercise, which are both essential for folks diagnosed with Diabetes. We know peer support works in helping folks live healthier lives because of the commonality of the lived experience. We have built in a walking component to not only the in-class Diabetes training, but overall as an agency we plan to start walking groups on our 20+ sites.
Since all of our members live on a fixed income, having an umbrella to use for our walking exercise will enhance people’s ability to work on this goal during our inclement winter weather.
Thanks again for your generous donation of 50 umbrellas to our program.
Respectfully yours,
John Massam
Peer Support Coordinator, Coast Mental Health
-30-
Established in 2011 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Square One Insurance provides Canadians living in urban centres with modern, relevant home insurance. Square One is one of the few providers in Canada specializing in home insurance and offering truly customized policies that can be purchased over the phone and online. For more information about Square One, visit our www.squareone.ca.