Supporting Stars to Shine Bright

A poster on the wall outside the crisis phone room recalls the story of a group of volunteers who self-identify as the OverKnights. These volunteers are so determined to ensure our overnight shifts are filled they formed "a secret society known as the OverKnights of the Round-the-Clock Table.”

At 2:00 in the morning, while many of us are sleeping, Crisis Centre volunteers are busy answering phone calls and supporting individuals when they need it the most. Our OverKnights are a key part of our 24/7 service, part of a larger team of over 350 volunteers.

We always share encouraging messages from supporters and donors, and they mean a lot to our volunteers. This Volunteer Appreciation Week, show as well as tell our volunteers how much you appreciate their work. In this mailing package you will find a star. Write a message of gratitude to our volunteers; we will then hang these stars in the phone room. By the time Volunteer Appreciation Week arrives (April 18-24), we hope to have a galaxy’s worth on display.

Please also consider making a donation online or by completing the pledge card, and help us reach our $10,000 goal. Online donations help us keep administrative and operational costs low.

crisiscentre.bc.ca/stars

Volunteers are the backbone of our work. With them, we are able to answer a significantly increased volume of calls and chats during the pandemic and the mental health crisis associated with it. Your support and your encouragement makes all the difference.

Thank you!

Stacy Ashton
Executive Director

By Stacy Ashton

On December 21, 2020 CBC Front Burner released a behind the scenes look at a night on the Crisis Centre lines.

Deciding to open up our work to a national audience was not something we took lightly. We are deeply committed to the privacy and confidentiality of those who reach out to us for support. Instead of having Front Burner producer Elaine Chau sit in on calls in progress, we invited her to connect with Max, one of our volunteer crisis service responders, and Nicole, one of our distress room support staff, over the course of their shifts.

Max and Nicole shared their experiences at the Centre; how they respond to the calls that come in; how they open their hearts, minute-by-minute, to provide comfort to people in pain; how they deal with the reality of rarely getting to know what happens next, but go on anyway; how their own life experiences drew them to this work; and how our team members support each other in staying open and compassionate.

Explaining the work we do to people who haven’t been on the lines is difficult. We are, in many ways, intentionally non-professional. Because no one gets through life without adversity, we are people who have all experienced overwhelming times in our lives; these histories are what we draw from when we give people the time and space to talk, without any other agenda than to listen. Our work takes time, grounding, and an extremely supportive work environment to be done well.

As we move towards making a national 9-8-8 suicide hotline a reality, understanding what it takes to create safe spaces for callers in crisis is going to be key to ensuring every person has 24/7 access to compassion when they need it.

A documentary interview with Ivana McConnell, a volunteer responder at the Crisis Centre of BC.

Written, edited and directed by Boris Bilic, this documentary was the Winner of BEST DOCUMENTARY at the Quarantine International Film Festival, 2020.

If you would like to add a star and show your appreciation for our volunteers and haven't received one by mail, please consider printing, cutting, and mailing one.

Crisis Centre of BC
763 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5T 1X8

Stars were sent to donors who have supported the Centre with a financial contribution of more than $50 in the past 3 years.