Volunteers bring compassion to drop-in listening service in Barrie
The Listening Post Barrie, a drop-in listening service, is being offered at multiple locations throughout the city, including the downtown library.
It gives people a safe space to open up and speak to someone one on one with no judgment.
"We listen, but more than that, we bring our hearts to it, and our intention of the heart which is to just be present to someone in a way that just lets them know that we value them and accept them as they are," said Ruth McDonald, founder and executive director of The Listening Post Barrie.
Heather Buchan is one of 30 volunteers who says volunteering resonates with her soul.
"I feel that it's an opportunity to provide what we all want - which is to be heard and seen and valued just as we are. So, for me, it's just a blessing," she said.
The Listening Post is a drop-in service with several locations across the City of Barrie. (CTV News/Molly Frommer)
The drop-in listening service can be found at multiple locations.
"There's the Busby Centre, Elizabeth Fry, who had a shelter at the same location as the Busby Centre, so then we started listening with them. There's transitional housing for Lucy's Place," said McDonald. "There is also the RSVP with the CMHA, and we're with Samaritan House, just to name a few."
McDonald said the group is currently looking for sponsors and donors, as well as more volunteers. She says she hopes to open more sites within the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.