Category: Posts

November 25^th – December 1^st, 2019

#StigmaEndsWithMe

Stigma is a significant barrier to wellness and good health for people who use substances.

This year we give voice to #StigmaEndsWithMe in order to highlight the devastating stigma associated with substance use and addiction and its impact on the well-being of people touched by this health issue.

With your help we can end stigma!  Breaking down barriers to recovery and wellness or good health is extremely important.

To donate to the our Recovery Program for Women visit https://trellis.org/national-addictions-awareness-week

Thank you to the following donors for their contribution to the renovation of our parenting room:  

Mennonite Central Committee Thrift Shop

Okanagan TELUS Community Ambassadors

Rotary Club of Kelowna

Morningside

Rotary Club of Kelowna

We’ve received a nomination in the category of Best Local Charity for #bestofkelowna 2019.   We require at least five nominations in a given category to be eligible for the voting round.  We would be honored if you would consider nominating us for Best Local Charity!

These awards highlight what we do and how we contribute to addiction and recovery services in our community.

Nominations are open until April 19^th!  Just click here to nominate us bestof.kelownanow.com/

Thank you to Carolily Finery for their incredible support this past year!  Since we met Donna and Danielle they have included us in a number of events and promotions and will be running a jewelry making workshop with our girls later this month.  

They have helped promote Karis and donated to Karis and we are so grateful for these 2 gorgeous women.   For more information on Carolily Finery visit www.carolily.com

Please join us for a fun, fabulous ladies evening to raise funds for women in recovery!  Together with Carolily Finery and Georgie Girl Vintage Clothing we’ll be hosting a vintage & retro apparel inspired fashion show featuring 6 of our gorgeous Karis participants who are all currently in our program!  Join us as we celebrate their success and journey through recovery. 
 
The event includes delicious food, drinks and fabulous inspirational guest speaker Doris Karvonen along with some amazing goodies to be won! 
 
We’ll also be showcasing a new non-profit organization called “Dress for Success Kelowna”, as they have recently launched in the Okanagan and we’d love to share with you their work in our community!  They will be working with women to empower, dress and prepare them for job interviews. 

Karis is proud to have been awarded the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Community Airtime Award, in partnership with Mr. Lube & Fresh Air Concept and Experience!

Starting in January 2018 we are looking forward to 6 months of valuable radio exposure for Karis Support Society and women in recovery.

LAUNCHING DREAMS INTO REALITY

Karis Support Society offers our participant’s recovery focused counselling, programming and support. Part of transitioning back into society is visualizing a future beyond addiction.

Launched in April 2017, the Dream Project aims to inspire, support and equip women as they move through the stages of recovery and aims to help women to live a life that is capable of so much more than they believed possible for themselves.

The Dream Project idea was introduced to Karis by Janice Taylor, founder of Mazu Family and the author of Wisdom. Soul. Startup. Janice graciously donated the proceeds from the launch of her book to Karis Support Society and her passion for helping women in recovery was ignited. At the launch event our ladies were given the opportunity to share their stories of tragedy and triumph.

Over the past year the Dream Project has facilitated and supported many of our ladies in their search for self. Our success stories include:

• Facilitating the recording of an aspiring singers original song
• Realizing one woman’s dream to speak publically about addiction where she had the opportunity to address students at KLO Middle School
• Facilitating a participants dream to take a ‘soul trip’ to Alaska
• Helping one participant to further her knowledge on caring for her autistic son by funding a course on autism
• Supporting an aspiring artist to have her own showing at Metro Community’s Red Couch Art Gallery
• Supporting a participants dream to become a fitness trainer by providing micro loans for her courses and exams

WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE DREAM PROJECT?

The Dream Project sessions involve bringing in guest speakers on topics that interest or inspire our women.

We are always looking for inspirational, educational and motivational speakers as well as a focus on caring for self. This year we would love to offer our participants experiential activities which get them out in the community, these would include things like hiking, adventure courses, boating and photography.

If you are interested in learning more about the Dream Project and how you can get involved, please contact pdouglas@karis-society.org to learn more about the program.

Areas of focus for 2 of our Aftercare ladies for 2018

• Humanitarian Trip to Nepal: Realizing C’s life-long dream to visit a children’s home in Nepal.
• Studies & Bursaries: Helping L to go back to school however she needs bursary funding to help her realize this dream.

The Dream Project by Geri Pauls, co-executive Director of Karis

Stephanie’s Dream

Charlene’s Dream

Over the past year the Dream Project has facilitated and supported many of our ladies in their search for self. Click for more information and how to become involved with the Dream Project.

Karis Camp is taking place in September 2017 and is a fantastic time away for Karis women and their children. Many have never been on a holiday before and this may be their first opportunity to build positive long-lasting memories as a family. It is also a wonderful bonding time with other women and their children within the Karis community. For children specifically, it’s an opportunity to play and have fun while building self-confidence. Often, before Karis, these children have not been able to develop and grow in a safe environment so camp is one of their first opportunities to truly “be a kid” with time allotted for active play, education and FUN!

During the three days away, we have organized activities, crafts and nightly campfires. This experience is very much an important part of recovery for families.

How to help Karis make it a reality this year

In order to raise enough money to go to camp, we are having a Cupcake Campaign.  All proceeds from the campaign will go directly to camp.

How much does it cost?

Each goodie for good is $2 plus a $5 delivery fee (to pay for that that growing gas expense!). So let’s say you have a team of 15 and would like 15 treats, the total will be $30 +$5 for delivery.  **Please note there is a minimum order of 10 cupcakes.

We don’t want cupcakes, but we’d like to donate to support camp – is this possible?

Yes! Absolutely! You can donate to support camp by going to clicking here and leaving a note on our donation portal letting us know this donation is specifically for camp.

What dates are you delivering?

We will be offering this door to door delish service from July 15th all the way to August 1st so it’s really up to when it works best for you and your team.

What about allergies?

Let us know if there are any allergies and we will do our best to accommodate.

How do we get involved further with Karis?

We would love your support at Karis. If there is an interest in volunteering, you can reach out to Deborah Klassen at volunteer@karis-society.org. If there’s an interest in donating, you can visit our webpage here. All other inquiries can be sent to info@karis-society.org.