The City of Kitchener recognizes the great passion of active older citizens and their role as community champions. As such, the City hosts a special Salute to Seniors awards presentation to honour seniors for being role models through active involvement and contributing to a healthy community. Two of the individuals being recognized at this year’s ceremony on June 13th are Abdullah and Farida Mohibuddin.Abdullah and Farida are both tutors in the Pathways to Education program at Mosaic Counselling and Family Services. The couple emigrated from Bangladesh two years ago to be with their 3 children, all of whom came to Canada for University and decided to stay. Abdullah and Farida, both in their 60s, are making a difference by bridging the generation gap and contributing to the success of students. Only four months after arriving in Canada, they began exploring ways to volunteer in their new community. Pathways to Education drew their attention because the program involves youth and education. Farida was a teacher in two English schools in Bangladesh, so she is able to draw from her own experience when working with Pathways students. For Abdullah, however, it is something new. He was a commercial pilot prior to coming to Canada. They share a passion for working with the students, and have many stories to impart.They will soon have been with the program for two years. When asked what keeps them going, the answer is simple says the Mohibuddins: “To be with the students, as we love children. Tutoring the students is interesting and brings pleasure for us, especially when we find the students are eagerly waiting for us.”It is a rewarding experience. Farida shares a story of a Grade 10 student who was struggling with Geography. The student said she didn’t like it and found the homework, assignments and tests really hard. At that point, she wasn’t passing and was disheartened. Farida started working with her once per week for three hours and used many encouraging techniques. After only one month, the student came back and told Farida happily that she had improved her mark so much that she passed Geography!Farida and Abdullah strongly believe they are making a difference and are happy to share their experience with the students. They say it all comes down to patience, love and affection.

Chronic stress is one of the most common challenges to our life today. On six consecutive Thursday evenings, Mosaic is providing a summer group program that examines several methods to ease chronic stress and related chronic negative mood states such as anxiety, irritability and depression. This program will help individuals to move towards building some new habits of self-care, leading to a more satisfying lifestyle.

Thursday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m.

Starts July 11, 2013 and goes to August 15, 2013

Topics include:

• Stress, relaxation and our human needs
• Dealing with Negative Thinking and Beliefs I
• Delaing with Negative Thinking and Beliefs II
• Mindfulness: Stepping Back from Negativity
• Caring for the Body to Care for the Mind
• Group Choice of Topics (i.e., self-esteem, perfectionism, procrastination, time-management, assertiveness, boundaries in relationships)

Group fees based on a sliding scale. Registration is required; please contact us at 519-743-6333 to register or for more information.

Mosaic Counselling and Family Services and kidsLINK (Notre Dame of St. Agatha Inc.) are pleased to announce today the amalgamation of these two long-standing and successful social and mental health service leaders. The Ministry of Government Services has approved the incorporation of the new organization that will operate as Carizon Family and Community Services as of April 1st, 2013.“Both kidsLINK and Mosaic are recognized for their leadership in providing a multitude of services that strengthen individuals, families and neighbourhoods,” says Carizon’s President of the Board of Directors, Rich Steinmann. “This merger will allow these two agencies to enhance their ability to contribute positively to the well-being of children, youth, adults, families and communities.”CEO Sue Gillespie, who will lead Carizon, identifies the ability of the new organization to provide a continuum of care that meets the changing needs of our community. “Combined, kidsLINK and Mosaic have the experience of providing services to our community for more than 216 years. As a leader in social and mental health service delivery,” says Gillespie, “we will draw on that expertise to leverage complementary strengths and proactively pursue an even more impactful future.”

The name Carizon, a combination of the words care and horizon, was designed to capture the nature of the services provided by the agency, as well as its hope and vision for the future of this community.

As far back as she could remember, Naomi recalled a childhood of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. As a young woman, Naomi struggled with panic attacks and the fear that others were watching her. While Naomi had managed to support herself, she was unable to do so in a public environment. Naomi did her work in isolation, grocery shopped at night when no one else was in the store, and avoided any non-essential activity that took her outside of her own four walls. It was an isolating and draining existence. One day shortly after Naomi’s 30th birthday, Naomi was recognized for her thorough and efficient work and was offered a new job in an office. The job, however, necessitated that she walk four blocks to her downtown office and interact with people several times a day. Naomi desperately wanted the job, but she just could not get beyond the fear. That’s when she made an appointment at Mosaic Counselling and Family Services and came in to talk to Pauline. Pauline began by listening to Naomi and helping her to deal with her childhood trauma. Pauline also taught Naomi skills to help her manage her anxiety and provided her with tools and techniques to help her to calm herself and to find emotional freedom. Naomi started by walking one block from her home and back, then two blocks, then three. From there, Naomi added other activities, like Tai Chi. It took a number of months, but Naomi eventually accepted that job. Naomi credits Pauline for “opening up her life.” Today, Naomi not only enjoys her new career, but she has joined a hiking club where she walks for miles on end, all the while socializing with others.

Naomi is one example of an individual that has overcome life’s challenges thanks to Mosaic’s Trauma Client Assistance Fund. This fund provides counselling and services to members of our community that have experienced a traumatic event and would otherwise not be able to afford or have access to these services. You can help people like Naomi.