Two days in Bens

I thought I would share with you on our blog this week two days we had in the Ben’s Centre last week. It will give you a glimpse into how varied our life is each day, and that no two days are ever the same.Last year we decided to have a special dinner on Thanksgiving Day. My son is in America, married to an American young lady and it was just an idea that turned out very well. We gave all the clients a piece of paper before they ate their delicious lunch and asked them to write one thing on it that they could be thankful for. It was very moving and the clients seemed to appreciate it. So this year we thought we would have a special meal again only this time we would tell our clients something about them , that we as a staff team were appreciative of and could thank them for. Wendy was in the kitchen, ably supported by Phill our client who cooks so well. A beautiful meal was served of Roast Turkey, Roast, mashed and sweet potatoes, carrots, stuffing, fresh cranberry sauce and gravy. If this was not enough then it was followed by Phill’s Pecan Pie! It was truly delicious. Before we ate Wendy spoke a few words of thanks to the clients and also encouraged them that however bleak their circumstances were today there was hope and a way out. Many clients were moved and we had a few tears, but it was a special day and the clients all enjoyed it and went out feeling lighter than when they had first come in. We then came in on Friday and when the doors opened at 10.30am it was an action packed day. We had many clients who had pressing issues to deal with and on top of all this many clients who were intoxicated. As a damp Centre we allow clients in who are intoxicated but they are not allowed to drink on the premises. It was crowd control, re-instating boundaries with some clients, listening, sign-posting, creating activities for clients to do, running outside to keep the peace. Just full-on activity all day. The day ended for the clients with a sing along. Dave played the guitar and sang a song he had written about our Thanksgiving Day, which was amazing and this spurred the clients on to join in and sing at the top of their voices, not quite along but almost! By the time the Centre closed we realized that we had never stopped. Both good days but as different as it was possible to be and yet providing the stability and safety the clients needed. Thank goodness for the weekend although the clients would not agree.