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PAGE 20, WIITY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JUN 7,19à9 e0 Distress Centre: Liending a friendly ear By Tamara K. Downes Who would give you 100 per cent support and-a friendly ear when you need te tai ktc someone? Available. te ail Durhanm ]Regienal residents is a special pregraxnfunded partiaiiy by the United Way. The Distress Centre of Dur- hamn Region is a 24-heur tele- phone service for these who need te speak te, someone in a "neutral position." "We caîl ourselves a listening ear," says coordinator Ronny Kaassen. Regular caliers include hand- icapped peopie, senior citizens, latchkey kids and suicidais. Aise, many caîls are made te talk about marriape breakdown, grief teenage social problems and leneiiness. Ail conversations are confiden- tial. Volunteer's last names ax'ë net used. Volunteers are trained net to, 'give their opinions or advice, but rather te explore the options the person has te selve their pro- LIem. "We offer non-judgmental lis- tening,» says Klaassen. We de counsel over the phone," says Klaassen, but refer- ences te professienals are always at hand if it's a serieus probiem such as suicide. Averaging 11,000 calîs a year, she says the service offers * what's caiied'roli-oveÃŽr": if one line is busy it Nwill automnatically go over te the next. «We're aiways iooking for new volunteers,» says Klaassen. Cur- rently there are about 80 te, 90 volunteers. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Those wishing te appl need only cali one of the hot uines and request an applica- tion. New te the Distress Centre is a youth hetline. Teenagers who. ish te discuss their problenis with their peers rather than adulte çan cail between 4 and 7 p.m. Volunteers during that tine are between the ages of 16 and 21. Depending upen the probleni, a teenager niay find it a lot easier speaking to, someone their own age. The centre first opened in October 1970 in Oshawa. There Distress Centre of * DurhamRegion Purpose: to provide a friendly and supportive ear to those who are lonelv -nr trouhled. *Fundraising: 75% funded by the United Way; 1 walkathon in May; 1 yardsales; annual r dinner/dance and general donations. Fundraising goal: $5,000 Membership: 90 volunteers. Contact: 433-1121 (Whitby-Oshawa) are now branches in Ajax-Picker-' ing and Newcastle. After five years, the line changed to a 24-hour service for the public. By the end of the first year, there was a total of 1,400 calîs. There is now an average of il1000 calîs a year.1. buin hefrs ear ther:* Margaret Arnold, a volunteer's «commitment 'usually runs for about two years. » With the United Way provid- ing 75 per cent of annual fund- ing, volunteers hold special fun- draisers. The May walk-a-thon raised $3,500 and a yard sale on Ma28 raised $620. Te centre's annual 'Hard- times' dance was held at the Kinsmen Hall in Oshawa on June 3. The centre also accepts general donations from the public. "Mhe community, service clubs and churches get involved," with fundraising says Arnold. One of the centre's future goals is for computerization. In that way, referenoes, information and contacts will more readily avail- able for volunteers. Arnold hopes that computers will ho used within two years. Aýnyoneé intereste d in becoming a volunteer or who wouid like to reach the hotline, can caîl 427- 5839 in the Ajax-Pickering area or 433-1121 in the Whitby-Osh- awa area. Fundraiser THE DISTRESS Centre of Durham Region held a fundraising yard sale on May 28 in Oshawa. 'Jlnce Ohprecio-Pree Press photo National Access Awareness Week I ntegrating Disabled Porsons (NC)-Each of us wants our own community tobe the best possible place in which to live, work and play. National Access Awareness Week provides us with the chance 10, do something to make our community a betterplace foreveryone. It provides us with the opportunity to find ways to ensure people with disabilities have access to ail aspects of community liv- ing - transportation, recreation and education. Access, means more than just re- moving physical barriers. It means changes in attitudes that will allow all people with disabilities to be a part of community life. In promoting equal access it is important t0 remember that people with many invisible impair- ments, such as learning and psychiatric disabilities, must be considered as well as those with physical disabilities. Working together, national, provin- cial and local committees in coopera- tion with Secretary of state are making National Access Awareness Week a time for communities acroÉs Canada t0: *assess the accessibility of services and facilities, - set goals by which progress can be measured - make practical improvements, an - celebrate what has been achieved by disabled persons. National Access Awareness Week is an opportunity for individuals, vol- untary organizations, small businesses, corporations and governments 10 work together in achieving the integration of ail people with disabilities. Your participation is vitally impor- tant. You can make a difference. Together, we can make Canada the best place in the world for aIl members of our society, including persons with disabilities. For further information on National Access Awareness Week, you can contact your local organizing commit- tee or your provincial committee at: Ontario (416) 964-8799 A FOU LEIER W RD ~The giving begins with you. SHOULML USE MORE OITWe Metanegas firom Biwk We*StiadfiM hlie wiII edce ecticity Methane gas from a landfill "This agreement will. help totally Canadian cempany, plans "This will be the. first Iandfill wili receive approximately site in Pckering will be used te Ontario Hydro meet its objective te burn the -gas from the landfillga fuelled electrical generating $14-mil1lion in royalties over 10 produce electricity for sale, of purchaing 1,000 megawatts cf site te produce steam te drive a rlaen in Canada," said Herman geare from Eastern Power Ontario HydrÃ" announced electricity ftrm private developers turbine and preduce electricity. Walter, president of Eastern bevelopers. recently. by the year 2000. The gas, rnainly made pOf Power Developers. 'Ibis power Hydro has signed an methane and carbon ioxide, 's plant will improve local air agreement to purchase electricity This prject will use new currently collected by the Metro qa yand1mgenerate enough frein a 21-megawatt generating technology that will turn the gas Toronto Works Department in a electricity te meet the needs cf Eastern Power Develepers plant being built by Easter Power fromn a garbage disposal site inte system of pipes and burned off 'n about 6,000 homes!" plans te hiave the plant operating Developm e , ,Incte Broçk West, usefu - ",V e tko-sa d ,iares te-e, re safety1an reduce , ,-and provide ,electricity to,Onýtap*p, ladU$i a--, ee,>qe vererim' .~ < ~. HyI&robythe end of 1990