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Tuesday January 22, 2013
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KIN’S
KET FARM MAR
Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Surrey puts up its own cash for new schools District can’t wait for provincial funding to address overcrowding
by Sheila Reynolds
THE SURREY School District is
putting up $5 million of its own money to get the ball rolling on two long-awaited and muchneeded new schools and two school expansions – with the hope that the provincial government will pay the cash back. The move to front the money, says longtime Trustee Laura McNally, is the first of its kind by a B.C. school board, but is necessary as homes continue to be built at a breakneck pace and schools are busting at the seams in some Surrey neighbourhoods. “We owe it to our students and our parents to move quickly,” Laurae McNally said McNally in presenting a motion to fellow trustees at Thursday night’s public board meeting, which passed unanimously. She said residents have been “incredibly frustrated” by school overcrowding and can’t understand why homes pop up continuously, while schools aren’t built until years later.
BOAZ JOSEPH / THE LEADER
The Fraser Health Crisis Line takes 36,000 calls per year. While some calls are high-risk, most are from people who just want to talk.
A welcome voice at the end of the line
by Boaz Joseph
A
hesitant, warbled voice greets Teddy. The speaker sounds elderly, and somewhat confused and frightened. She laments the fact a good friend has gone out in poor weather, and says she fears for his safety. Teddy focuses on the call, reassuring the caller that she’s being listened to.
The caller suddenly veers course and begins to talk about other people she has lost in the past. The conversation continues for several minutes. Teddy, with a steady voice, offers empathy, encouragement, and a few minutes later, begins to brainstorm with the caller. What are her options for the day? The tension eases. “Have a good day, okay?” the caller tells Teddy before
Fraser Health Crisis Line volunteers focus on empathy to help callers through their darkest times
hanging up. It’s a regular caller, says Teddy, leaning back in a work chair at the Fraser Health Crisis Line, which is based in Surrey. She’s called about once a week for each of the 15 months that Teddy has volunteered. “A lot of our regular callers like to call in to let us know about their day.” That’s not a problem – the crisis line is there to help. “Here, people don’t have to fight to make you understand
what they’re going through,” Teddy explains. Callers often find that trying to express their feelings to others is tiring and frustrating – even overwhelming. Together, the callers and call-takers come up with possible options or next steps . Although there’s no typical incoming call, volunteers have been trained to help in most crises – regardless of what the caller might think is a crisis.
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