Sault group focused on youth opioid use marks 10 years
As the temperature outside plunged below - 20 C on Saturday, volunteers with the group called Save Our Young Adults (SOYA) were busy preparing hot coffee and lunches for the Sault Ste. Marie's vulnerable population.
SOYA is marking 10 years of service, operating out of a temporary spot on Gore Street at Wellington Street.
The group's founder, Connie Raynor-Elliott, says the group has come a long way in the last decade.
"We see a minimum of 100 people every time that we're open," she said. "The community comes together, our team is fantastic, we're called the SOYA family. Onwards and upwards, we've really grown."
SOYA began as a support group for those battling addiction but has since expanded its mandate. However, Raynor-Elliott says the group is still centred on helping people in the grips of drug addiction. She adds while the group helps fill in service gaps, more needs to be done.
"Where is our withdrawal management, where is our treatment centre," said Raynor-Elliott. "We just need more services."
Raynor-Elliott is quick to credit the volunteers for SOYA's success. Emily Hodgkinson said she became affiliated with Raynor-Elliott and her group when she herself was looking for help.
"I can reach out to her if I'm having a hard time, I know I can tell her anything and she'll be there if I need something," said Hodgkinson. "She's literally 'Mama Bear' because of that. I don't call her that, but that's exactly what she is. She's a mom to those who don't have it."
Brooke Adams, another volunteer, is a Social Services student at Sault College who is completing her placement through SOYA. She's been volunteering alongside Raynor-Elliott for the past six years.
"She never stops," said Adams. "She works all day. She comes here, she does this, and she works tirelessly to make sure everybody has everything they need. And she's a great role model for lots of people to look up to."
Meantime, Raynor-Elliott said COVID-19 has put the brakes on SOYA's move to the old Verdi Hall on Queen Street West. She said the group's move-in date is now Feb. 1.
Until then, SOYA will continue to operate out of its temporary depot at Gore and Wellington.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.