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Women’s Group 2025

Over the weekend marked the final day of Women's Group 2025! The cohort began as strangers, and quickly came together. As they exchanged ideas, thoughts, feelings, they ended by exchanging numbers and plans to continue meeting outside of Umbrella. The group was crea...
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Unpacking the ‘Stache: Behind Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month

      "Grow some balls"*, "man up", "don't be a pussy". Unfortunately common phrases today that we've all used, been told, or overhead. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found that 75% of men in a 2019 survey said they were reluctant, or would flat out refus...

Invisible Disability Awareness Week

October 19th to the 25th is Invisible Disability Awareness Week, first established in 2024 by the Individual Disability Association*. Along with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower*, this is a week that shines a light on disabilities that we cannot see. A federal study back...

Fall & Thanks

Starting the morning off in turtlenecks, ending the day in shorts and sunscreen, fall in Victoria is upon us. We're making more space to come together in community, and more opportunities to give thanks. A men's support group has always been on our wish list, and now we'...
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Recovery Month/ 1 Year later…

The end of September marks the close of Recovery Month, and the first year of the Umbrella Society in our new office. On September 1, 2024, with the help of staff & volunteers, we made the move from 415 Dunedin St., to 2675 Bridge St. With the move came: -a permanent ...

Summer Recovery House BBQ!

Umbrella's Second Stage and Third Stage Supportive Recovery Houses have been a part of many people's recovery journey over the past 25 years. Last week, our Housing Manager Erik hosted a barbeque for the current and former residents of Foundation House, Cooper House, an...
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Foundation House: Congratulations Barry!

Last week, one of our Foundation House residents celebrated three years of sobriety. Congratulations to Barry on achieving this milestone in your recovery journey, we're so proud of you!
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Umbrella merch now available!

Looking for a way to show your support for Umbrella Society? We've now got two options available for purchase at our 2675 Bridge Street office. Our coffee mugs are a reference to our original service - meeting folks in community-  often over a cup of coffee - to discuss t...
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Soberfest 2025

Last weekend, Umbrella staff had another amazing year participating in Soberfest. This was the 4th annual event centered around celebrating sobriety in a fun, family-friendly event. As a recovery organization, we feel it's critical to celebrate living in recovery and the ...
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Upcoming Event: Soberfest 2025!

Umbrella is thrilled to be participating in Soberfest for another year. This is the fourth year of the festival, which is an alcohol, marijuana and drug-free festival dedicated to supporting and celebrating recovery! Having large-scale events like Soberfest among the many...