Life Outside of “the Bubble”
A reflection piece by Murray Krushel
I live in a “Bubble”, in fact, I have always lived in a “Bubble”.
I define my “Bubble” as having a roof over my head, a ready supply of healthy food, access to health and dental care, a reliable car, a good job and employer (and now happily retired).
Recently, I spent a day on a “Social Impact Tour”. The tour was arranged by Brendan Reimer of Assiniboine Credit Union. Brendan is someone with an amazing capacity to see/act and speak into so many complex social issues of our day. A very good friend of mine Zaila (former employee of Assiniboine Credit Union) joined us on our tour as well.
The day began at Siloam Mission, assisting in the serving of 500 free meals to men and women who for the most part, carry all their worldly possessions in a small back pack. They do not live in “the bubble” I described. I was struck by the politeness of the folks and the many thank you’s I received. And then I looked over at a table and there was Zaila, fully engaged in conversation with a man she had served, obviously very comfortable. Katrina (employee of Siloam) took us on a tour of Siloam’s facilities. There was a quiet room where folks can paint (do art). Here were examples of skill and talent that had been completed by folks who had stood in line for a free breakfast. I don’t generally connect creative art skill with the folks I had just served breakfast, it was a teaching moment. I didn’t know, Siloam provided a full range of health services including dental, eye and chiropractic to name a few. Medical Doctors and Specialists volunteer their time to provide these services. Words I heard from Katrina repeated a number of times throughout our tour….the people we serve, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, the same as anyone else.
Next we moved onto “NorWest Co-op Community Food Centre” which is linked to the Norwest Co-op Health Centre. We assisted in serving a nutritious lunch to about 40 people. I would say, most if not all of the folks we served, had a home to go to, so different from Siloam Mission in that regard. We learned about the many programs the Co-op provides. NorWest Co-op Community Health Centre has existed for over 40 years. It provides Primary Health Care, Counselling and Support Services and Early Learning and Childcare.
We then headed over to the “Social Enterprise Centre” located at 765 Main St. This centre is home to an innovation cluster of enterprises formed and operated by partners – BUILD (building urban industries for local development).., MGR (Manitoba Green Retrofit) and Pollock’s Hardware Co-op. BUILD provides a 6 month carpentry training program for folks (mostly first nations) released from the prison system . Upon completion of the training, a significant percentage of the graduates are able to find employment with BUILD, AKI Energy or MGR. A lot of these folks do not have driver’s license. Here they are assisted in going through the process of getting that all important license. Another enterprise located in this centre is AKI Energy, an ever expanding company that began with the installation of Geo Thermal systems located on First Nation Reserves. The high level focus of the work at this center is integrating folks back into main stream society through skill building and jobs.
Our final stop was at “ArtBeat Studio”. ArtBeat provides programs for folks with mental illness through art therapy. When we arrived, a musician (vocalist/drummer) was in the midst of providing a short program of songs and readings to folks who use the services of ArtBeat. We then got to see some of the works of art (paintings). Wonderful creative pieces. (And do note that last year we gave some financial support to ArtBeat through our Mission Fund.)
In addition to facilities we toured, Brendan stopped at various inner city locations, like the newly renovated Merchants Hotel which among other things, is now a learning center and provides high school and university class training. He shared a number of stories of people whose lives have been transformed and restored, bringing self worth, dignity and meaning back to them through various social programs. On a number of occasions as Brendan shared these stories, emotion over took him evidenced by tears and a brief silence. I hope I never forget those stories and moments.
I don’t journal, but at the end of the day, I knew I had to journal my experiences and impressions of the day which had deeply impacted and challenged me. I came away with two questions, how will I become engaged and volunteer some of my time and energy in opportunities that were shared with me? Will I become an advocate for the people I crossed paths with today, by challenging politicians who represent me in various levels of government?
