Client Ambassadors
We encourage you to invite a client ambassador to your workplace who can share their story with you, and how dramatically their lives have changed through the support they receive through United Way funded programs and services.
For smaller groups, we also have our campaign video and have posted some client stories right here for you to use. Please contact the United Way Resource Department to book a speaking engagement or to request a video.
Brian’s Story (Click to see Brian’s Story)
A Miraculous Recovery
Written by Pamela Dixon
Drunk or high for 43 years of his life, and slipping in and out of consciousness, Brian Harder had no fear of dying. Rather,he was afraid of living.
“Asking an addict to stop using, or an alcoholic to stop drinking is like asking a normal person to stop breathing,” said Brian Harder, 54, “They wouldn’t know how to live without it.”
Brian lived life behind a drunken mask, finding it hard to cope with everyday life. Hollow, and lifeless, his addictions finally made him hit rock bottom, and he dwindled down to an unhealthy 78 pounds.
Luckily, Brian’s eldest son had an inkling about his father’s addiction and instigated an intervention.
In the four days that followed, he fell into a coma. Brian had stopped using drugs and drinking, which threw his body into shock. Until then, no one had known the degree of his addictions.
“I had to learn how to talk; I couldn’t put a full sentence together,” said Brian. “I couldn’t eat food, except for with my hands, and sometimes I couldn’t even do that, and I had to learn how to walk.”
Brian’s recovery was successful in part from the help he received from Canadian Mental Health Association, and A Gathering Place, both of which are supported by United Way of Central Alberta.
“Once addicts and alcoholics get to the point where they’ve finally had enough and are willing to accept it, it is so important that the services provided by the United Way be there,” said Brian. Ninety-seven per cent of addicts never get help. Out of the three per cent that ask for help only three to five per cent make it.
Mickey’s Story (Click to see Mickey’s Story)