Kamloops, B.C.: The Kamloops Society for Alcohol and Drug Services (KSADS) marked a significant milestone - their 50th anniversary providing services in Kamloops and area to help youth and adults journey through alcohol and drug addiction into recovery and wellness. At the event, KSADS announced its new name: Day One Society, a change that involved consultation with stakeholders and members of the community.
“We were so thrilled to invite people from the medical and healthcare community, drug and alcohol counsellors, local business owners, and many community leaders to come together to honour our 50th anniversary, acknowledge their contributions, and to let them know about the name change of our Society,” said Marilyn McLean, Chair of the Day One Society Board of Directors.
Although the legal name of the Society was Kamloops Society for Alcohol and Drug Services, for years, people have referred to the Society as the Phoenix Centre, which is the name of the building that houses the Society’s offices and detox services. The name Phoenix Centre will live on but as a part of Day One Society.
“For a while now, our Board has been thinking about our vision for the Society and the help, hope, and healing our services provide,” said McLean. “We desired to have a name that would better reflect who we are and all that we do while being unique and relevant to the diverse group of people we serve, from youth to adults to seniors. We are very thankful for the input community members provided to help us arrive at the name Day One Society.”
The name Day One Society was chosen after engaging with the community for their input. Community members shared how the new name better reflected the journey through addiction to a lifetime of recovery and wellness. It was important for the name to express how every day of this journey is like day one, representing the possibility of a fresh start, no matter what. Sian Lewis, Executive Director of the Society, is grateful for the thoughtful and intentional work of the Board to guide the Society through this process.
“One of our goals as a Society is to help our community know that yes, we have the Phoenix Centre as a centre for detox programs and services, but for decades, our Society has also provided services like youth and family counselling, a treatment program for young women, and supportive transitional living in recovery for adults,” remarked Lewis. “This new name serves as an umbrella for our many services and allows us to potentially expand what we do in the future, where we’re needed most.”
In recent years, the Society has seen increased demand for services brought about by both the opioid crisis as well as the pandemic, but true to its new name, the staff team and leadership tackle each day as day one to bring help, hope, and healing to clients.
“We help hundreds of families and individuals each year, and our waitlist for services is constant,” noted Lewis. “We are grateful to our key funder Interior Health Authority, as well as other partners and collaborators such as Canadian Mental Health Association, Stollery Charitable Foundation, Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, the United Way BC, and other supporters who empower us to do what we do.”
Day One Society premiered a film at the event and will launch a campaign called 50 Years. One Day at a Time. to ensure the communities the Society serves can easily find and access the detoxification, counselling, treatment, and recovery services for them or their loved ones as people get used to the new name.
“As a Society, it is our ultimate hope that by what we do through our communications, connections, and services, we will resonate with those in a journey of addiction to connect with us to turn the thought of ‘one day I’ll get help’ into day one of their journey to recovery and wellness,” noted McLean. “For those who have not personally experienced addiction, we encourage them to watch our film to get a better sense of what addiction is like to provide understanding to help eliminate stigma so that everyone will know it’s safe and normal to need and seek help.”
The Day One Society film can be found at www.dayonesociety.ca or www.bit.ly/dayonesociety
For an interview, please contact:
Aleece Laird, Communications Liaison, aleece@amplifyinc.ca | 250.574.0221