Shalem Mental Health Network recently has had a lot to celebrate! This year Shalem received two prestigious awards from two esteemed Hamilton organizations: the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Both recognize outstanding achievements and community impact.

Spirit of Hope Award

In February, Shalem’s WrapAround program, in partnership with Catholic Children Aid’s Society, received a Spirit of Hope award from St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation at their Mental Health Morning Breakfast. The Spirit of Hope award honours and celebrates those in the Hamilton community who have overcome mental health or addiction challenges or made an impactful contribution to these fields.

Through WrapAround, Shalem supports families and individuals in our community facing multiple challenges such as unemployment, housing insecurity, mental illness, and special needs. By using a strength-based approach, the program empowers clients and families to make their own decisions about how to best reach their goals, while the team from Shalem walks beside them to reduce barriers and restore hope.

Kailin Murfin, WrapAround Facilitator, accepted the Spirit of Hope Award. These are excerpts from her speech:

“I have witnessed first-hand how transformative WrapAround is to the lives of the families we serve and we hope that the government will commit to base funding for this program so that we can continue this great work into the coming years. I thank the families and participants I serve – thank you for your courage, resilience, commitment to your children and willingness to be brave and vulnerable.”

Non-Profit of the Year Award

On March 29, at the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Ontario Business Achievement Awards dinner, Shalem received the Non-Profit of the Year Award, presented by Bell Canada. This award honours local businesses and organizations for their achievements, business growth, and overall impact on the community.

Jennifer Bowen, Executive Director, accepted the award at the dinner. As part of her acceptance speech, she shared the following:

“I represent the great team at Shalem and accept this award on their behalf. Our agency was born 60 years ago with a vision to provide excellent mental health. It first got approval to be a psychiatric hospital, then when our community shifted away from residential treatment, we pivoted to community-based care. We continue to pivot to where we’re needed. Today our programs stretch across Canada, equipping community groups to provide mental health and reconciliation services to those in their care. We care deeply about this community, and nights like tonight are a very helpful boost to our team, demonstrating that our community sees our work as meaningful and shares our values to support those who are struggling with mental health challenges.”

These awards acknowledge the work and investment of so many into Shalem – staff, students, volunteers, board members, community partners, donors and clients believe in Shalem. Each role has a unique part to play in our story and the work we do. We thank our staff and board for the work they do, for continuing to go above and beyond to deliver timely, accessible and professional mental health services.

To our community partners and donors, thank you for investing in us and working with us to bring mental health care to our community. Most importantly, we thank our clients who trust us and we thank them for allowing us to work alongside them as they journey towards mental wellness.

For more information about these awards, please visit:

Spirit of Hope Awards – St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation

Non Profit Award – Hamilton Chamber of Commerce

Felicia Van Dyk  is Shalem’s Director of Annual Giving & Donor Stewardship