Further reminder: All Committee Chairs and secretaries can and should be sending out their own messages from ClubRunner. Instructions on “How To” can be found in the Members Area under Organization > Committees > ClubRunner and Website Committee > Documents > How To folder. ClubRunner is not just for a select few but for all club members.
Rookie Mahmud got off to a quick start fining folks. However, it was noted that he is not wearing his name badge. Does this mean that he can't fine us for not wearing ours? (:-)
Cyndy Forsyth – Classification Talk – Business Development
Paul, Truex had the honour and the pleasure of introducing
Cyndy Forsyth to the Club and to members and guests on the occasion of her Classification talk. Cyndy is currently the Chief Development Officer at Homewood Research Institute and a board member at YMCA and Guelph Children’s Foundation and champions the Integrated Youth Services Initiative.
For someone who professed not to be interested in, and had a dread of public speaking, Cyndy delivered a very powerful, informative and personal Classification Talk giving insight into why she is so passionate about mental health and what has drawn her into becoming a member of Rotary.
Her interest in mental health largely stems her personal challenges and struggle to understand, deal with, and assist and provide care for her daughter with her mental challenges over the last 15 years or more. Cyndy indicated that she had always had a strong belief that nurture could overcome nature. However, like so many other parents desperate to help their children Cyndy has been to see countless experts, talked to many counsellors, therapist, social workers, mental health navigation specialists, taken courses, read books to help. The good news is after close to 20 years of this Cyndy has managed to put all the pieces together. The bad news is the story isn’t pretty. The system we have created is not only broken – no one really has an answer on how we can fix it.
While recognizing the frustrations and pain associated with this issue Cyndy also highlighted and celebrated the joy that their challenging family journey has also brought. Cyndy indicated that she was blessed with two loving parents (who are coming up to their 60th wedding anniversary) and three outstanding siblings with whom she has lots in common. (Although it did take the better part of 30 years to fully realize and appreciate them). So, when her daughter started to face challenges, her family was there to offer their support – and they have never left – Cyndy’s side or her daughter’s. Notwithstanding her daughter’s mental health challenges Cyndy had the joy of watching her daughter graduate from Conestoga college with high honours and her family’s involvement in an open adoption with her daughter’s child with whom they are blessed to have a warm loving supportive relationship.
Cyndy’s first professional association and taste of mental illness was when she joined the Huntington Society of Canada in Kitchener. Cyndy learned to listen to and help those who were really struggling with mental health issues related to the disease* - learning that would eventually pay off as she walks beside her daughter who struggles in profound ways. Cyndy is now very exited to be part of the Homewood Research Institute (HRI) working with some incredibly smart individuals who are proactively looking for real-life solutions for those who suffering from mental illness and addiction. The institute is dedicated to evaluating and transforming mental health and addiction services in Canada and beyond in collaboration with leading universities, and Homewood Health. We will learn more from Dr. Margaret McKinnon at an upcoming talk about the complicated mental illness of PTSD and its sub categories.
Champion Cyndy then provided the background to her involvement and the fast-track development activities associated with the establishment of an integrated youth services model - A one stop youth service for Guelph & Wellington county. A very exiting collaborative development program involving a host of Community organizations including the Guelph Y, the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington, the Guelph Community Foundation. Wellington County, Family and Child Services, the Guelph Public Library, Wyndham House, the two School Boards, Wellington Dufferin Public Health, Michael House, the Waterloo Wellington LHIN, Portage. All who participate on the steering committee.
The Goal of the of the project is to transform the way we provide mental-health services to youth. Imagine treating our youth holistically, wrapping support services around them rather than having them or their parents desperately try and navigate the fragmented mental health system we have created? The vision in bringing integrated youth services to Guelph and Wellington county is to target youth between the ages of 12 to 26 - where service providers give a one-stop experience on the continuum of care.
The concept of a continuum of care according to Cyndy means:
- Let’s provide leadership training from the Guelph Y - They are already proactively working on preventing mental illness and addiction by providing youth with a sense of belonging and solid positive-peer relationships.
- Let’s provide employment services like resumé writing to youth who do not have access to those skills.
- Let’s provide social workers, who can help with mild to moderate anxiety and mental health issues,
- Let’s provide housing services for youth who are facing homelessness and let’s provide a safe place for all.
- Let’s involve the university, as they are struggling with this issue as well, find out what their students need and work with them to provide an integrated youth-services model that connects us all.
Cyndy noted that the University, CMHA WW and the Guelph Y have all committed to host satellite locations and work as spokes in the hub and spoke model.
Cyndy thanked her very supportive Rotary and Community organisation team including past and current President Marty, and Paul, Chris Willard, Geoff Vogt from the Guelph Y and Helen Fishburn from the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington indicating that they collectively act like a snow plow in front of me paving the way to action. She also paid tribute to the outstanding work by Rotary in laying the foundations for this initiative through their youth at risk initiatives over the past 20 years by saying “The most important organization involved in this project is Rotary. Without your vision, 20 years ago, led by Ranjit Singh, Don Bower, Kate Quarrie, Tom Maher, Bill Winegard, and President Paul Dredge, we wouldn’t be where we are today. President Paul has provided us with your experience and is helping up to learn how to move this project forward based on your wisdom. And I can say is you were way ahead of your time. You saw the looming crisis, you acted, you involved youth, you listened to what youth wanted and your vision was inclusive. Our society wasn’t ready to hear you – which is a such a crime. We have taken your vision, experience and are working to ensure this project gets off the ground and becomes a community initiative with Rotary as the catalyst. As catalysts go, I am asking you to help spread the word. You will find at your tables information about the integrated model and information on the fund that has been set up at the Guelph’ Community Foundation. Let me be clear, I am not asking for a donation - I am asking you commit to sharing these cards with two of your friends. It’s time to reach out to our community and let them know how we are transforming youth mental health in our community in very real ways. You have vast networks and I cannot think of a better way to engage our community."
Cyndy concluded her outstanding talk by thanking Paul Truex for introducing her to Rotary. Little did she know when she accepted my position as a board member at the Guelph Y how much of an influence Paul would have on her life. Paul and Rotary has provided her with the opportunity to bring all her worlds together.
“
You have given me such a precious gift. Paul, I had no idea how much I needed Rotary. Thank you for welcoming me into your family”.
*For those who are not familiar with Huntington disease it is one of the cruelest diseases one can have. It is like experiencing the symptoms of ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – simultaneously. It slowly eats away at the centre of the brain, for the better part of 20 years, until the sufferer can no longer function. And the worst part, patients with disease have a 50% chance of passing the Huntington gene along to their children. This disease was misdiagnosed for many years and still is…So, thousands of families had or are having children unaware of the fate they would endure.
Methinks this lady is going to clean a lot ofMental Health Snowdrifts herself before she is finished - Ed
Cyndy was thanked by both
Jennifer Dunsmore and President Paul for her outstanding Classification Talk
Guests
Visiting Rotarian
Barry Fraser PDG Chatham Kent Visiting Rotarian
Geoff Vogt Cyndy Forsyth
Jessica Barrie Cyndy Forsyth
Susan Brown Cyndy Forsyth
Beryl Moffat Cyndy Forsyth
Deborah Legrove Cyndy Forsyth
Josh Campbell Matthew Webster
101 Things About Rotary
Minority Membership
Rotary formally considered the issue of racial restriction in membership and determined that the organization could not allow racial restrictions to the organization’s growth. In Rotary’s legislative deliberations in June 1921, it was formally determined that racial restrictions would not be permitted. Non-racialism was included in the terms of the standard constitution in 1922, required to be adopted by all member Clubs.
Rotary and other service clubs in the last decade became open to homosexual membership. Other minorities, in the face of general changes in demographics are also encouraged to join. Everyone is welcome. So ask all your friends to join us in Rotary.