Dear Friend,
Father’s Day is just a few days away, and we are gearing up to celebrate our residents who are fathers.
We serve over 250 men at one time, and many of them are fathers. My heart is always encouraged to see just how many of them end up reconciling with their children during their time with us.
I have watched many of our Addiction Recovery Program graduations over twenty years, and the ones that touch my heart the most are the ones that children attend. I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard the words “I’m so proud of my daddy” as children encourage their fathers when they receive their graduation certificate. This never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
Addiction Recovery is not for the faint of heart, and those fathers that enter our program show incredible courage and strength as they make brave steps to change their lives.
They are entering a lifestyle of recovery not just for their own sake, but so they can become the best dad they can be for their children. Take Kyle for example, who has recently graduated from our Men’s Recovery Program and has been working hard to rebuild his relationship with his son.
“I wanted to be a part of my son’s life, but when I was struggling with addiction, I didn’t want him to be around me much. I felt like I didn’t have the capacity to be there for him in a real and honest way. Since coming to the Calgary Dream Centre, my relationship with my son has improved a lot.
Being a parent has become my priority now, and I have more to give of myself than I have ever before. Being in recovery has allowed me to build a very special relationship with my son. I now feel like the dad I wish I could have been before coming here.
To those fathers out there who are struggling with addiction, I encourage you to go after recovery. It’s not always an easy road, but it’s a worthwhile one, and it will do wonders for you and your family.” – Kyle, CDC Alumni
This spring, we honor the brave fathers like Kyle, who are choosing to make a better life for themselves and their families by overcoming their addictions.
I invite you to pray for and encourage our Dream Centre fathers, as they step into a new season of living out fatherhood in recovery.
Please continue to read to hear more exciting updates that are taking place at the Calgary Dream Centre!
Blessings,
Jim Moore
UPCOMING EVENTS
GOLF FORE! RECOVERY
Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift? Our 14th Annual Charity Golf Classic tickets are NOW available!
Join us for a fun day of golfing, all while supporting those overcoming addiction and homelessness this September.
Date: Wednesday, September 7th 2022
Location: Heritage Pointe Golf Course
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Stampede Breakfast
YAHOO! The Calgary Dream Centre and 88.9 Shine FM are pleased to invite you to our 6th Annual Pancake Breakfast, on July 7th from 8 AM – 11 AM . We welcome you to bring the whole family for a delicious pancake breakfast, live music, arts & crafts, a petting zoo, fun games, prizes and SO MUCH MORE
Date: July 7th, 2022
Location: Calgary Dream Centre, 4510 Macleod Trail S, Calgary AB
Time: 8 AM – 11 AM
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Volunteer Highlight
Catherine Cadman
Catherine is one of our incredible long-term volunteers here at the Calgary Dream Centre (CDC). She has been volunteering with us since 2018 in various areas including data entry, kitchen support, and special events.
Catherine is someone who carries a heart for serving and has been inspired to help at the Calgary Dream Centre because of our CEO, Jim Moore’s passion to help the homeless and hurting. Jim’s passion must be contagious because Catherine has given countless hours to the CDC.
One of her highlights is when she helps serve meals to the residents in our recovery program. By serving weekly, she would start to develop relationships with them.
She explained that something as simple as remembering a person’s name is very empowering, so she would take the time to learn a resident’s name to encourage them.
“I would definitely recommend volunteering because the Calgary Dream Centre gives you the opportunity to serve in areas that are needed” – Catherine
Thank you, Catherine, for all the time you have given to the Calgary Dream Centre. We truly appreciate your efforts and heart to serve our residents!
If you have a desire to volunteer, we would love to add you to our team today. Visit our volunteer page for more information.
Program Highlight
Men’s Recovery Program
Whether it’s one on one guidance or a safe place to sleep, our Men’s Recovery program includes practically everything you need to devote your time and attention to recovery. This includes addiction recovery programming, three square meals a day, individualized care, a supportive community and so much more!
This program takes a holistic approach that addresses the mind, body, and spirit. This approach includes providing classes on addiction, mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, and spiritual foundations.
Every participant is paired with a recovery-oriented case manager who works with them to provide individualized care through one-on-one meetings, and group activities that can include recovery meetings, fitness, equine assisted learning, and a woodworking skills program.
We’ve seen over 1718 of individuals graduate from our Men’s Recovery Program since it’s beginning!
In the Men’s 49 day program, we don’t just offer the opportunity to live lives of sobriety but we offer the opportunity for whole life recovery: A recovery that allows the men who apply what they’re learning to restore the life that addiction stole from them. This takes place through learning skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, relationships, and emotional regulation along with learning to have fun through yoga, woodworking, equine assisted learning, group projects, and the CDC Olympics (minute-to-win-it games).
The reason I enjoy working with the program is to see the moment that a person participating in the program begins to realize that they have a life to live and that with the help of God, others, and themselves they can start building the life, not just that they want, but the life they deserve from the ground up. – AJ, Program Manager
CDC WOODSHOP
Our Woodshop has been busy, both teaching our residents basic woodworking skills and making beautiful products such as planters, standing desks and dining room tables. We encourage you to check out our summer collection here! All the proceeds from each item purchased goes directly to supporting the work we do here at the Calgary Dream Centre!
ABOUT THE CDC WOODSHOP
Our Woodshop is unique, it offers recreational programming to those enrolled in our Addiction Recovery Program and operates as a Social Enterprise which brings revenue to support the various Dream Centre programs. Every week, participants from our recovery program visit our woodshop. Here, they learn basic woodworking skills and even have the opportunity to build their own project!
Much like their journey in Recovery, they are taught to use new tools to build something they can be proud of. Learning new skills builds confidence and teaches values that help our residents integrate back into the workplace after graduating from the program.
When our Woodshop isn’t busy helping our residents learn, they spend their time creating beautiful products that you can purchase! With 100% of the proceeds going back to the Dream Centre, you can furnish your home and support those overcoming addiction and homelessness.
To view our products, visit www.cdcwoodshop.com
Check out our social media: @cdcwoodshopyyc
Change Is Good
Have you checked out our new curated thrift store?!
Be sure to watch this fun reel for an inside look at our beautiful location!
ABOUT CHANGE IS GOOD
This social enterprise is a curated second-hand store with 100% of the profits supporting the men and women at the Calgary Dream Centre who are changing their lives for good!
Not only do we have beautiful second-hand clothing for sale, but we have partnered with local vendors to share and support some of our favorite independent brands. Keep your eyes peeled for their beautiful products all around our store.
We are open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 AM – 5 PM, and our address is 1317 9th Ave SE, Calgary AB, T2G 0T2.
Did you know we receive women’s clothing donations at our store? These donations can be received anytime during store hours.
For more information, check out our website: www.changeisgoodyyc.com or visit our social media.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changeisgoodyyc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/changeisgoodyyc
Your Impact
Your generous gifts make incredible things happen, and for that, we’re deeply grateful. Thanks to you, we’ve accomplished a lot in 2021, including…
