Annual Report 2011 Restoring Hope Restoring Hope
Message from the Chair of the Board May, 2011 Dear Members and Friends of Shalem The Shalem Mental Health Network invites you to join us for our Annual General Meeting on June 11, 2012, at 7.30 pm, at Shalem s RE-create Program location. You will find directions on how to get to the location in this package. This year we are changing the venue for our AGM and holding it in the space occupied by RE-create, a Shalem program that serves youth in the Hamilton area. You will have an opportunity to see firsthand what happens in this space and will be able to view art work created by young people who have participated in the program. We have arranged for one of the participants in this program to talk about his experience and how the program has made an impact on his life. You will also hear stories from a WrapAround participant as well as someone from one of our Congregational Assistance Program Churches. It should be an informative and inspiring meeting as we share in the successes and challenges for Shalem in the coming year. One of those challenges is financial and we will outline for you, with the presentation of our financial statements, the challenge and opportunity that is facing us as an organization in the next few years. We are excited that 2013 will be Shalem s 50th Anniversary! We expect to use the opportunity provided by the Anniversary to thank God for the visionary founders of Shalem, to retrace Shalem s story, and especially to envision the next five years of service in God s name. As part of the Anniversary celebrations, we will launch a major revenue generation campaign, beginning in the Fall of 2012, designed to provide opportunities for service and partnership and to help sustain Shalem over the next number of years. We ll describe some of the details at the meeting! We continue to expand our contacts in the field of social services and are recognized as a service provider leader in the Mental Health field. We can be justly proud of what has been accomplished. And we look forward to our expanding supporting membership helping us to move into the future and respond to the call we have received as an organization to be a centre of excellence for the programs we have developed and offer to the community. We have some long-standing Board members who will have served two terms and will be stepping down after this AGM. We continue to seek out new members for our Board who can contribute to the fulfilling of our Vision and Mission. Peter Dale Chair of the Board SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Page 2
Agenda 50th Annual General Meeting at RE create Outreach Art Studio 126 James Street North Hamilton, ON June 11, 2012, 7:30-9:00 pm 1. Welcome and Opening: Peter Dale, Board Chair Business 2. 3. Approval of the Agenda Minutes of the previous Annual Meeting held on June 6, 2011 Motion: That the minutes of the previous annual meeting held June 6, 2011 be adopted. 4. Board Report: Peter Dale, Board Chair 5. 6. Executive Director s Report: Mark Vander Vennen Financial matters: a. Financial Statements Motion: That the financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2011 made up of a statement of income and equity for such a period and a balance sheet as of the end of such period be approved and adopted. b. Auditor Motion: That Mr. Dave den Boer be appointed to serve as the auditor for the year 2012. 7. Election of Board members Motion: That the slate of Board members presented be elected by the membership. Special Guests Stories from Shalem Participants We will listen to a few individuals who are involved in Shalem s programs, and hear how their lives and those in their commities have been impacted. We will hear from people specifically involved in the RE create, WrapAround and Congregational Assistance Programs. 8. 9. Questions and Discussion Adjournment: Coffee and Dessert Page 3 SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Annual General Meeting 2011 Minutes of the 49th Annual General Meeting Monday June 6, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Crosspoint Christian Reformed Church 444 Steeles Avenue West Brampton, ON Present: Nita Bouwma, Jennifer Bowen, Betty Brouwer, Peter & Ruth Dale, Andrew DeBicki, Michelle DeBoer, Elske de Visch Eybergen, Elisabeth DiFranceso, Sid Harkema, Gord Hope, Rudy Hulst, David Johnston, Katie Karsten, Hank Kuntz, Chris Lindsay, Gerald & Janine Lock, Michael Maher, Anne Martin, Kaitlyn McGee, Henry & Elaine Prinzen, Doug Rowley, Marg Smit-VandeZande, Linda Thompson, Danielle VandenAkker, Catarina Vandenberg, Mark & Alice Vander Vennen, Robert & Mary Vander Vennen, George VanDyk, Diane VanElburg, Ken Van Wyk, June Zwier 1) Welcome and Opening: Peter Dale, the Board Chair, welcomed all in attendance to the meeting. For our devotions, Peter read some verses from John 20, Genesis 2 and Matthew 28 noting the clear call to the people of God to receive the breath of God to restore hope in brokenness. He reminded all that the presence of love, hope and restoration indicates the presence of God s Spirit. 2) Agenda moved by Ken Van Wyk and seconded by George Van Dyk that the agenda be accepted as circulated. Motion carried. 3) Minutes of the previous annual meeting held May 31, 2010 be adopted. Moved by Sid Harkema and seconded by Hank Kuntz. Motion carried. 4) Board Report: Peter Dale, board chair, introduced all the board members of Shalem. Peter offered special thanks to Linda Thompson who completed a term on the board of Shalem. Linda was thanked for her varied contributions: writing the executive director s job description, writing clinical and procedural policies, doing the evaluation of executive director and serving as vice-chair of the board. The dedicated work of the board members was noted with appreciation. The board looks forward to the addition of 2 new gifted members: Amanda Milward and Pam Dewilde. The performance review of Mark Vander Vennen took place. The board is so very grateful for Mark s exceptional leadership. Peter shared that liability insurance was renegotiated this past year. A 5 year loan was also negotiated with DUCA for Shalem s cash flow for daily operations. 5) Executive Director s Report: Mark Vander Vennen introduced and thanked each staff member of Shalem for each of their unique contributions. He referred all to his report included in the Annual Report 2010. Mark highlighted the following: in 2010, Shalem staff gave 31 community workshops (a definite sign of Shalem being in the community). In September 2011, Shalem s board and staff will gather to explore and articulate the new three-year Strategic Plan (the current one expires on Dec 31, 2011). 2012 is Shalem s 50th anniversary. Celebratory events will be planned. 6) Financial Matters: George Van Dyk presented the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010, referring as needed to the explanatory notes in the Annual Report 2010. a. Financial Statements Motion: That the financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2010 made up of a statement of income and equity for such a period and a balance sheet as of the end of such a period be approved and adopted. Moved by George Van Dyk, seconded by Syd Harkema. Motion carried. SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Page 4
b. Auditor Motion: that Mr. Dave den Boer be appointed to serve as the auditor for the year 2011. Moved by George Van Dyk, seconded by Linda Thompson. Motion carried. 7) Election of Board members: Motion: that the slate of Board members presented be elected by the membership. Moved by Ken Van Wyk, seconded by Mary VanderVennen. Motion carried. Mark VanderVennen, Executive Director of Shalem, made a presentation titled: The Long-Term Promise of Shalem He presented possibilities of its future, its ministry services, how they might be supported for the long haul and who its partners might be. Mark assisted all to gaze, with God s blessing into Shalem s promising future. 8) Question Period: no questions were received. 9) Adjournment: Doug Rowley moved to adjourn. Seconded by Ken Van Wyk. All in favour. Coffee and dessert were enjoyed. Page 5 SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Executive Director s Report Mark Vander Vennen, MA, M.Ed., R.S.W. Introduction In my last Annual Report, I commented on the recent explosion of research on the brain. The research shows that we are wired for relationship; we need relationship as much as oxygen, water and food to live. These discoveries affirm a profound Biblical truth. The Bible is replete with examples of the extraordinary lengths that God in Jesus goes to in order to develop a relationship with us and to inform the relationships that we have with one another. Shalem, in light of this Biblical and creational truth, is about walking alongside of people and communities who seek to develop healthier relationships in their lives. For all of us at Shalem, it is a privilege to be invited into spaces of deep pain and healing and there to encounter the living God and the extraordinary courage of people. In this report, under that rubric, I will offer snapshot highlights of Shalem s work in 2011 and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead. At our Annual Meeting, three participants in Shalem s services will speak about their experiences of working with Shalem. 2011 In Brief Service Delivery In virtually every area of Shalem s work, the trends show an increase in the usage of our services: In 2011 Shalem s Congregational Assistance Plan (CAP) provided counselling to 147 households (201 people) in 15 churches and 1 high school across Ontario. As of this writing, there are 24 churches and 1 high school across Ontario engaged with CAP (an increase of 9 since December, 2011, and of 18 since December, 2010). CAP is experiencing significant growth, and not a single church has dropped the CAP ministry since CAP began five years ago. In 2011 an average of 20 street-involved youth per month used Shalem s RE-create drop-in art studio in downtown Hamilton, building life-skills and creating their future. In 2011 Shalem s WrapAround service worked successfully with 18 families with very high needs in downtown Hamilton. Note that because of the persistent, overlapping, mutually reinforcing, cross-sector, complex needs of the people and families supported by WrapAround, WrapAround is highly intensive work requiring numerous community partnerships. At the same time, it is often more effective and much less expensive than service solutions which typically rely on expensive out of home and out of community placements. We are grateful to World Vision Canada, the Ontario government s Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, and the Edith Turner Family Foundation for their financial support of our WrapAround work. In 2012, with the gift of a four-year grant from World Vision Canada, we began expanding our WrapAround work in Chatham-Kent, through a partnership with Chatham-Kent Neighbourlink and its 27 member churches. Shalem s Christian Counselling Services in Hamilton saw counselling revenue increase 46% from 2010 to 2011 (from $54,655 to $80,116). 226 clients were seen in 1,222 one-hour sessions. Since 2007 Shalem s FaithCARE ministry has worked with approximately 650 people in 20 churches from 6 denominations across Ontario using restorative practice creating safe spaces for having honest, open and difficult conversations addressing harm, repairing relationships, creating stronger communities, and moving forward. FaithCARE is quickly gaining international attention. In 2011 Shalem s EduCARE ministry, a partnership with Edifide (Ontario Christian School Teacher s Association) and the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools, worked with 5 Christian schools and trained 65 Christian school SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Page 6
teachers in the use of restorative practice in schools. In 2011, Shalem staff offered 33 workshops and trainings for community members, churches, schools, teachers and mental professionals around Ontario. Shalem s Clergy Care program, offering specialized counselling support for pastors and their families across Ontario, is a relatively new Shalem program. Its usage was approximately the same in 2011 as in 2010. I also want to highlight the work of Shalem s Durham Region office. As part of Shalem s Christian Counselling Service, our Durham Region staff person, June Zwier, does individual, couple, family and attachment psychotherapy about half-time. The remaining half of her time is done under the Sunshine from Darkness rubric, focused especially on mental illness and recovery, and on providing information on mental illness to anyone requesting it. She supports the Christian Reformed Church Classis Quinte s Faith and Hope Ministries, the Gathering Place (regular community dinners for people with mental illness, their friends and the community, sponsored by Durham-area churches), and WrapAround coaching of church-based volunteer WrapAround facilitators. Finally, our work in Restorative Practice is mushrooming. To accommodate that increase, the Board adopted a proposal to move our Coordinator of Restorative Practice Services, Anne Martin, from half-time to full-time in 2011. The Faith- CARE work in particular has increased substantially. A further significant partnership was begun with a number of workplace-related organizations to bring restorative practice into workplaces in Ontario. This development work began in earnest in 2011 and holds a great deal of potential. All of the Restorative Practice work is built around a fee-forservice model, and around our desire to help build the capacity of organizations to sustain restorative practices in their environments over the long term. Infrastructure In support of the growth trends in service delivery, there are also some significant growth trends in infrastructure and support. At the same time, there are also some challenges and plans are underway to meet them. Church Revenue Note in the graph below that from 2005 to 2011, the amount of fee-for-service church revenue to Shalem increased by 79,307% (from $0 to $79,307), while church donations have remained relatively constant. We are enormously grateful to our church partners among Shalem s growing network! Members The number of Members of Shalem has increased by 223% from 2009 to 2011 (from 78 to 174). In 2011 21% of our donations came from new Members. Donations In 2011, Shalem received $102,921 in donations. In 2010, the figure was $135,616; in 2009 $82,785. The drop in 2011 from 2010 is essentially due to two donations totaling $30,000 received in 2010 donations that we knew would be one-time gifts only. Already in 2012 we have exceeded the 2010 figure in donations. Page 7 SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Shalem s business plan calls for approximately $425,000 annually to be received from capital generated from property donated to Shalem, currently being developed by Kerncliffe Heights, a non-profit Trust established towards this purpose. At present, that capital is coming to Shalem based on the current appraised value of the property. The figure of $425,000 represents about 45% of Shalem s total budget. In children s mental health, annualized revenue (from government sources) represents 95% of their total revenue; in adult mental health, 86%, and in Family Service organizations, 64%. Shalem works in children s mental health and adult mental health, and it is a Family Service organization. These percentages tend to leave these sectors financially vulnerable. Shalem s business plan represents a mixture of revenue streams and cost containment that is almost entirely unique in community-based mental health in Canada. Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Growth and Sustainability Strategic Plan The next period of three years (2012 to 2014) look to be, with God s grace, a period of huge potential and promise. In September, 2011, the Board and Staff came together in one-day retreat to explore Strategic Directions for 2012-2014. A new three-year Strategic Plan is currently being finalized, based on the outcomes of the retreat. Key emerging themes include a year-long intensive exploration by both Staff and Board into the meaning of Biblical hope for our work. Because restoring hope is what we are about, we want to deepen our understanding and experience of hope in the midst of our efforts. We will also explore creating a new Shalem Centre of Excellence and Learning in Community- Based Mental Health, under which we can capture research, evaluation and publication efforts within our various areas of work, including the Congregational Assistance Plan, WrapAround, Attachment Psychotherapy, and Restorative Practice. Through such a Centre we will also explore the underlying linkages around understandings of human personality that tie together our various areas of work. And we hope to secure Shalem s long-term finances, based on developments in the Kerncliffe project and a sustainable business model supported by a diversity of revenue streams. Shalem s 50th Anniversary: In The Fullness of Time One of my favourite themes in the Bible is the fullness of time. Jesus came to us in the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4). The Greek word there suggests that there are moments in time made pregnant by God s Spirit with possibility, redemption, celebration, healing and hope. In the light of our 2011 year, and where Shalem has come over the last five years, I am filled with wonder that such a moment may be emerging in the life of Shalem itself. Next year 2013 is Shalem s 50th anniversary! Watch for exciting details about planned 50th anniversary celebrations as they unfold. 2013 will give all of us staff, Board, members, supporters, partners and friends opportunity to retrace Shalem s story, to give thanks and to celebrate God s untold goodness. Mental Health Commission But there is more. In May, 2012, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, an all-party Commission established in 2007, released the first-ever mental health strategy for Canada. Their report, entitled Changing Directions, Changing Lives (available at their website), offers six Strategic Directions towards establishing a new comprehensive national mental health framework. Directions include promoting mental health across the life span in homes, schools and workplaces, fostering recovery, providing the right mix of services, reducing disparities in risk factors for mental illness, and numerous others. I commend the Commission and support its recommendations. I see the report as a singular step forward in the national dialogue, and I encourage you to read it. The report also comes at a time of unprecedented public interest by Canada s business and corporate communities in supporting mental health initiatives. SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Page 8
Shalem s Opportunity Now let s bring these strands together. On the cusp of our 50th anniversary, Shalem is blessed with innovative, crosssector, maturing services grounded in resilience and hope, a strong support community, faith communities engaged in our services, and partnerships with key people and organizations in the field of mental health all supported by a sustainable business model unique in the mental health world. From that platform, we have something to contribute. We are now uniquely positioned to be a partner in the national dialogue on mental health over the next five years. And we are keen to contribute a voice of faith to the debate. We know, for example, that faith can have a measurable impact on recovery and healing. But a faith perspective can also help to frame how we as a society choose to structure mental health systems, service delivery, and community and government responsiveness to mental health and wellbeing needs. We seek a seat at the table and that is already beginning. Our work in WrapAround, attachment psychotherapy, Restorative Practice, the Congregational Assistance Plan, and other areas is generating attention and financial support, such as from the Ontario government s Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. The time is now full, ripe to move forward. A Celebration Will you join us in this moment, full of promise? Look for a year-and-a-half-long celebration of God s faithfulness to Shalem over 50 years, beginning in the Fall of 2012, and within it a campaign to help launch a more robust mental health witness to the Gospel over the next five years. Look for invitations to all sectors to take part in a revenue generation campaign designed to position, from the foundation of strong services, a voice driven by the Gospel in the broader constellation of mental health services over the next five years. Already there is a significant large donor commitment. We ll ramp up a Shalem social media presence too, and develop accessible means of communication with our supporters and partners. Help us to tell a new Shalem story at the pregnant moment of our anniversary, even as we hear the old, old story of Jesus and his love. Conclusion None of this arriving at a fullness of time moment would be possible without your dedicated, remarkable and sacrificial support as members, friends and supporters of Shalem. Our hope and prayer is that Shalem s emerging voice also expresses your hopes and dreams for how God is asking all of us to engage with each other and our vulnerable neighbours. Thank you for your ongoing support in prayers, donations and engagement with Shalem s vision and services. We depend on it and take none of it for granted. Ours is a mutual ministry together. May God bless you in your efforts to bring Christ s comfort and healing to your neighbours in need. Shalem s Board is strong as Members you are well served by a dedicated, faithful Board. The Board worked diligently in 2011 on Strategic Planning thinking, on securing partial financing for Shalem for a period of four to five years, on ongoing engagement with the Board of Kerncliffe Heights, the non-profit Trust established to develop property in Waterdown on behalf of Shalem, on promotion of Shalem s services, and on initial planning for a significant 50th Anniversary effort on behalf of Shalem. I am enormously grateful to each Board member and to the Board itself for its outstanding work in 2011. Board members give freely on a volunteer basis of their time and expertise. There are two Board members whom I will miss a great deal, and whom I wish to publicly thank for their support of both Shalem and me personally. They are Sidney Harkema and John Lutgendorff. Each has served six years on Shalem s Board. Sidney has worked diligently on large-donor fundraising for Shalem a role which he will continue after his Page 9 SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Board membership is completed. Sidney was also most instrumental in the emerging partnership between Shalem and the Eastern District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, specifically with Shalem s assumption of the Clergy Care program. John represented for us the history of Shalem he was a Shalem Board member in the 1980s and knows Shalem s history from the very beginning. His reflections at Board meetings and at our Strategic Planning events were always wise, thoughtful, concise, usually right and always deeply appreciated. The Board but also me personally will miss both of these gifted men of God a great deal. Please pray for them in the next chapters of their lives. Shalem is blessed with an outstanding, gifted staff. The staff is a hard-working, cohesive group that nurtures and learns from each other. Professionally they are at the top of their game. They engage deeply and wisely with their clients. I am enormously grateful to each staff member for their dedication and commitment. I could not ask for a better staff environment within which to work. Please pray for Shalem s clients, Board and Staff, even as we, in thanks, pray for God s blessing on your acts of service in Christ s name. Yours in Christ, Mark Vander Vennen SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Page 10
Shalem Board Member Slate May 29, 2012 The Board is presenting to Shalem s membership the names of two people for re-election to Shalem s Board (shown in italics). They would rejoin other current Board members (shown in non-italics). Terms and term lengths are shown below. In 2011 two Board members resigned from the Board for personal reasons: Amanda Milward and Doug Rowley. The Board Member Recruitment Committee is working actively to recruit new members for the Board. Name Term Expiry First or Second Terms Location Katie Karsten 2012 First Term Hamilton Michael Maher 2012 First Term Mansfield George Van Dyk 2013 First Term Brampton Vacant (Doug Rowley) 2013 First Term Ridgetown Peter Dale 2014 Second Term Toronto Pam DeWilde 2014 First Term Oshawa Vacant (Amanda Milward) 2014 First Term Toronto Board member nominee biographies: Katie Karsten works with Diaconal Ministries Canada as Justice Mobilizer. Katie seeks to encourage and equip churches to walk alongside and advocate for their neighbours who are marginalized, hurting and vulnerable. She is excited about Shalem s capacity to provide faith communities with restorative practices and the available support for those who struggle emotionally or mentally through the Congregational Assistance Plan and Faith-Based WrapAround. Michael Maher holds Master s degrees in Developmental Psychology and in Sacred Scripture. He recently retired as executive director of a property casualty insurance and employee benefits program for Catholic Religious Congregations and is a former a high school teacher and principal. Michael has been 50 years a member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, a teaching congregation in the Roman Catholic tradition. He served for 10 years on the Social Affairs Committee of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is a former member and President of the Board of the Church Council on Justice and Corrections (CCJC) and a former Board member of Citizens for Public Justice. He has served on a number of the earlier Inter-church coalitions, and is a founding member of the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition (ISARC). Currently, besides the board of Shalem, Michael is also a board member of the People s Workshop, a community development project in St. Lucia, the West Indies. Michael is also a member of Catholic Charities Social Justice Advisory Committee. He is also a founding member of the Smart Justice Network and editor of its newsletter. Page 11 SHALEM ANNUAL REPORT 2011