AMCAL keeps it all in the family

In a world of ever-increasing hustle, bustle and stress, it's great when you can get a few minutes at home, with your family. The screaming, the yelling, the fighting, the slamming doors –wait, what? Is it time to go back to the office already?

Life is like that sometimes -- when you leave the tumult of the office or workplace and return home, to your sanctuary from the harsh world outside, and instead of finding sanctuary, you're finding excuses to stay away from the house.

Maybe you're a young mother looking for support, or a high-school student whose family issues at home are affecting your schoolwork. Turmoil makes everything harder.

What if your family is in turmoil? There is at least one place in the West Island you can look to, whether your teen is at risk, or your blended family isn't quite blending. It's AMCAL Family Services, and the Pointe Claire-based non-profit agency, which provides support for families on all levels.

Sitting down the other day with AMCAL executive director Heather Parker and associate executive director Heather Holmes, I was struck by the sheer breadth of the programs the agency offers to families with troubles of all types.

Of course, AMCAL offers a residential program for teens at risk, housing them for eight weeks (with the teens staying at home on weekends and returning after school Monday) and a drop-in centre for young mothers in Pointe Claire's northern Delmar sector, where the moms get support "for just about everything," Parker said. "Nutrition, health – both theirs' and their children's -- we also help them with life planning, education and we try to get them going on the right track," Holmes added.

AMCAL also offers family counseling, supervises visitation for parents in custody disputes, school-based programs in conjunction with the West Island Health and Social Services Centre and private programs for school-aged kids.

In short, if you've got a family conflict at home, AMCAL might just be able to help you mend the situation.

If you don't ever happen to need their services, so much the better. But the sad reality is, many people do; as many as AMCAL can handle. More divorces in the world means more broken and blended homes – and those kids are often the most in need of support. These days, The Heathers will be visiting local retail outlets to ask them to canvas customers and help raise a few dollars for the agency, which receives funding from the provincial government and from West Island Community Shares.

Got questions? Visit their website at www.amcal.ca, or call them up at 514-694-3161. It might be the smartest call you ever make.