British ColumbiaA hairdresser and mother in Salmon Arm has created a non-profit dedicated to raising funds to pay for counselling. The C.A.K.E. Foundation aims to help 10 clients access 6 free counselling sessions Listen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Angela Willey is the director and founder of the C.A.K.E. Foundation, which stands for community, awareness, kindness and equity. (Jacqueline Gelineau / CBC News)From behind the chair at Q Hair Studio in Salmon Arm, B.C., Angela Willey gets a unique glimpse into the most vulnerable moments of people’s lives. She said for some clients the only time they really share their emotions is when they are forced to sit still as she works on their hair.“It’s a very personal service, so there’s a layer of vulnerability,” Willey said. “People tend to share with us a lot of really important things that are going on in their lives.”Angela Willey says it is heartbreaking to hear how people are forced to choose between groceries and therapy. (Jacqueline Gelineau/CBC News)Join CBC to help Make the Season Kind for Canadians this winterWilley said she hears how some people’s attempts to seek help are stymied by the high costs of counselling and months-long waitlists for affordable services.To make the process of seeking care easier for those experiencing a mental health crisis, she has created the C.A.K.E. Foundation, which aims to remove financial barriers for 10 Salmon Arm residents next year by providing them with access to six free counselling sessions. “It just breaks my heart that not everyone can make the choice to actually go and seek counselling,” Willey said.She said her family knows the challenges of navigating a mental health crisis, and she can’t imagine how difficult it would be to support a loved one without coverage from benefits and insurance.”No one should be denied mental wellness support because of cost, stigma, or lack of coverage,” she said.To kickstart fundraising for the project, local bakeries and coffee shops have agreed to make and sell specially-made treats with proceeds donated to C.A.K.E., which stands for community, awareness, kindness, and equity.Just weeks after opening the doors to Cahoots in downtown Salmon Arm, owner and chef Spencer Moores agreed to make and sell cupcakes to support the cause. Spencer Moores, the owner of Cahoots in downtown Salmon Arm, has agreed to make and sell cupcakes to raise funds for the C.A.K.E Foundation. (Jacqueline Gelineau/CBC News)Working in the restaurant industry, Moores has seen how valuable it is for people to have immediate access to a support network and professional care, regardless of their income. “Funding behind [mental health care] is still lacking a bit and any way that we can help to connect someone with a counsellor or a therapist or some sort of a treatment program and help, that’s a really important thing to us,” said Moores.New Canadians find community in Abbotsford, B.C., at free kids judo classesWilley said stigma is another barrier that people face in seeking mental health care. She hopes sparking discussions over a sprinkled cupcake will normalize the difficulties faced by people who are struggling and in need of support.She says she’s grateful for the community’s support, and looks forward to turning the stories from her salon chair into fuel for C.A.K.E.’s continued growth.CBC B.C. is hosting its annual Make the Season Kind campaign in support of Food Banks in B.C. on Friday, Dec. 5, featuring a day full of special programming. Anyone wishing to make a donation as part of the campaign can go to cbc.ca/kindbc, where a drop-down menu will direct your donation to any of the 111 food banks that are part of Food Banks B.C.
Salmon Arm businesses bake up kindness to support mental health care initiative
