A Friend for the Lonely at Christmas

CARING MATTERS
Published Thursday December 13th, 2007
Appeared on page B8

Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Season's greetings.

Whatever the greeting you choose, these wishes of holiday happiness are being expressed throughout the city, the province and much of the world.

But what happens when the holidays are anything but happy?

For many people, the holiday season is challenging for many, many reasons. They may not have family or friends; perhaps they don't have the financial resources some believe are oh, so necessary these days to have a happy holiday. Whatever the reason, many people struggle at this time of year. Who do they turn to for help in this situation?

Many people turn to Chimo. Chimo is the Inuit word for friendship, and that's the service this agency provides. Staff and volunteers at Chimo have answered the phone for the last 30 years to help those facing a crisis in their life.

Chimo provides trained staff and volunteers who provide crisis intervention, a safe place to talk and a listening ear -- whatever the caller requires. Chimo's goal is not to counsel callers; it's to provide information and offer resources to help callers make their own decisions.

I recently spoke with Lindsay Manuel, Chimo's executive director. She said calls range from complex issues such as thoughts of suicide to a non-crisis situation such as a bad day at work.

There are those who call only when in a serious crisis. And then there are those Manuel calls the regulars. They often call to make contact with a caring person but generally are not in crisis. They simply need to know someone cares and that makes them feel important.

The biggest caller category is those seeking information or access to resources followed closely by mental health issues and loneliness.

Chimo operates in New Brunswick and PEI and in the last year answered more than 15,000 calls, 12,000 of which were from New Brunswick.

With such high volume, it's important the person receiving the call be well trained. Chimo offers a fully bilingual, around-the-clock service with a paid staff of eight.

This is complemented by volunteers who do not have to be bilingual. Some are university students, many from UNB's nursing program.

Volunteering at Chimo is a big commitment. Volunteers commit to extensive training and then three four-hour shifts a month for a year. After thorough screening which includes a criminal record check and extensive interviews, volunteers undergo 44 hours of training. That includes a course in suicide intervention, mental health issues, dating violence and other issues common to callers.

Fredericton Community Foundation funded some of the volunteers' training this year.

After completing training, volunteers work 12 hours one-on-one with a staff member before they are allowed to answering calls solo. Training is so tough, not everyone finishes. For example, in September, 100 people started the training and only 24 finished.

Chimo's motto is, Help is just a phone call away. Their number is 450-HELP (4357) or 1-800-667-5005.