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Donating to the Last Door is easy and affordable on anyone's budget!
How It Works:
- Click the above link and enter amount, frequency, and any special designations to your donation.
- Add this donation to your checkout Giving Basket.
- Pay for the donation, receive a receipt, and Canada Helps will disburse your donation to Last Door.
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District of North Vancouver votes to ban pot dispensaries |

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Photograph by: Kevin Hill, North Shore News
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Ken Starr listens to District of North Vancouver council debate second reading of a bylaw outlawing his proposed Deep Cove pot dispensary.
To read more please click here |
Dutch may label some cannabis as a hard drug | |
(Reuters) - The Netherlands, famous for its liberal soft drugs policies, said on Friday it may label some highly concentrated forms of cannabis as a hard drug on a par with cocaine or heroin, because of the risk of addiction.
To read more please click here |
Young Adult Binge-Drinkers May Be Damaging Their Brains | |
It's considered a rite of passage among young people - acting out their independence through heavy, episodic drinking. But a new University of Cincinnati study, the first of its kind nationally, is showing how binge drinking among adolescents and young adults could be causing serious damage to a brain that's still under development at this age.
To read more please click here |
FEATURED LINKS |  |
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Upcoming 2011 Events | VOLUNTEERS WANTED! |
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PLANNED GIVING |  |
Are you thinking about Planned Giving?
Everyone benefits from the power of a Planned Gift- you, your family and your charity. Of course, we want to ensure that each of these groups receives the maximum benefit possible; this is why Last Door Recovery Society offers a wide range of arrangements.
Please call 604-525-9771 to organize your gift giving or learn more about Planned Giving by
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS | be part of |
Last Door's first book of memoirs will feature letters of life stories from people affected by Last Door.
Do you have a letter or wish to write a letter you would like to have considered published? if yes please mail, fax, or email your letter to us. A selection committee will determine which letters get published.
learn more here |
LAST DOOR STORE |
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Personalized Engraved
Clean Date |
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"LIKE US" CONTEST
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and WIN a
ZipLine Adventure
Weekend in Victoria |
"Like" our new page and WIN
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Contest Closes June 30th
click here for full details
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Two New Group Rooms
set to be built!
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The construction of our new community meeting space/ group room/ dinning area has started. If you would like to support this project with inkind good or cash please contact blair@lastdoor.org

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Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation |
Congratulations to the successful candidates to the CACCF Board of Directors for the 2011-2012 year.
· Byrne Richards
· Dorothée Balladur
· Nick Ringma
This was the first year they held elections via email by those present; in person or by teleconference. The procedure worked out very well.
There were 5 candidates for 3 positions and for the first time in a long time they experienced a tie resulting in conducting a second round of voting to break the tie.
The people eligible to vote in the second round were those who had voted prior to and were present at the AGM either in person or by teleconference. | |
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Contact us |  |
Last Door Adult Program
323 8th Street
New Westminster, BC
V3M 3R3
t: 604-525-9771
f: 604-525-3896
toll free: 1-888-525-9771
adult@lastdoor.org
Last Door Youth Program
109 Ash St.
New Westminster, BC
V3M 3M2
t: 604-520-3587
f: 604-521-1889
youth@lastdoor.org
Last Door Family Program
327 8th Street
New Westminster, BC
V3M 3R3
t: 604-516-0060
adult@lastdoor.org
www.lastdoor.org
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JOIN OUR LIST |

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Monthly Newsletter Vol#26 |
June/2011 |
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Greetings!
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Jessica Cooksey ICADC
Addiction Counsellor
Youth Program Coordinator
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What drew me to pursue a degree at Royal Roads University was their reputation within the federal, provincial and regional health authorities and districts, the university's acknowledgement of formal education and informal aka in-the-field learning and competency based learning outcomes. But most importantly the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by our organization.
In our April 2011 newsletter Louise touched upon The Board's January training and enthusiasm for strategic planning. The Board transparently and intensely invests their hearts and into strengthening our organization's mission and strategic direction.
Completion of this leadership inquiry project fulfills a part of my Master of Arts in Leadership: Health Degree requirements. This project, based on action research principles, meaningfully collaborates with staff and board members to create the possibility for positive organizational change. Doug Eastwood holds a pivotal role as the organizational sponsor for our Organizational Leadership Project (OLP). During the next three (or so) months - the staff and board will participate in a democratic, collaborative process in a systematic inquiry to address organizational opportunities for leadership development and continuity (say that ten times real fast !). This in turn will allow us to continue to fulfill our primary purpose of improving quality of life for our clients and their families.
With a grateful heart,
Jessica Cooksey
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"Smoking Cessation in Long Term Treatment" |
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Last Door is a No Smoking Program |
Last Door submitted an abstract to the Issues of Substance (IOS) 2011 Conference, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) national conference on alcohol and other drugs and substance. The IOS Program Committee informed us that our abstract "Smoking Cessation in Long Term Treatment" has been selected for a Poster Presentation within the IOS 2011 Conference Program.
The Program Committee received 212 abstracts, Last Door is please to be able to accept its place in the Program and is eager to present on how Smoking Cessation in Addiction Treatment is possible.
Last Door's 100 bed long term treatment facilities have been smoke free for over 14 years.

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Annual General Meeting Report |
2011 AGM Report

Last Door's Board of Directors are an interested group of individuals who regularly take time out of their busy schedules to support Last Door in fulfilling its mandate and support the staff who do the day to day work. In true Last Door style we manage to have a lot of laughs and still get the job done. The Board is made up of Alumnus and family members of alumnus. Many have served on the Board for years, having watched Last Door's struggles over the year to stay afloat financially and to stay true to our beliefs. Some are quite new to the Board. As senior staff at Last Door and someone who has been there since the beginning I can attest to the fact that each and every Board member epitomizes the sensibilities we collectively believe in. In fact, an out of town alumnus who attended the most recent board meeting, where there was laughter, tears, dazzling intellect and common sense said that he found the process amazing and wished he could have recorded it because it embodied everything he knows about Last Door but has not been able to explain in words.
In January 2011 the Last Door Recovery Society's Board of Directors attended a private information session with Betty Sinclair - Strategic Organizational Services. The session was held January 26th, 2011 at the Westminster Quay. Topics covered during the two and half hour session were;
The legal and structural requirements of a not for profit society
- The duties of a member of a board of directors
- The relationship between board members and the staff of an organization
- Board composition and conduct
- The importance of risk management
- What is strategic planning and a board's role in planning
Board members reported finding the information session very useful in helping them understand and better fulfill their role as Board of Directors.
Several Committees have sprung from the workshop that includes the Strategic Planning Committee made up of Gary George, Doug Eastwood and Rob Proudfoot.
Additional task being undertaken by the Board include reviewing and updating the Constitution and Bylaws and underwriting a new official Mission Statement. Jen Lowrey and Dennis George have taken on the work associated with the Mission Statement and Aman Sanghera is tackling the Constitution and Bylaws.
Stay tuned to our July Newsletter for our Annual Outcomes Report
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12th Annual Slo-Pitch Tournament |

RSVP or be part of the discussions on facebook

Last Door Recovery Society has been presenting its Annual Door Slam Invitational Recovery Slo-Pitch Tournament in New Westminster, BC since 1999.
The weekend attracts over 1000 recovering addicts and is held at ball fields in and around New Westminster, BC with Moody Park being the main venue featuring registration, food, music and a kid's zone.
Door Slam is another means for Last Door to demonstrate its belief in good citizenship by making community contributions, increasing community awareness and fostering goodwill. Families, Alumni and friends of Last Door are all welcome to participate in this community event as well as the general public.
2010 Tournament Highlights include:
· 30 Recovery Teams from BC and the US · BBQ Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 6 pm · Kids zone at Moody park, Saturday noon - 4 pm · Raffle
Would you like to Volunteer or be involved?
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Last Door Family Program Presents....... |
Over 350 alumni of Parent's Group, Women's Group, Co-Parenting Group, Residents, their Families and Alumni attended our annual Family Fun Day on July 11 at Ryall Park in Queensbourgh.
An individual's recovery from the damage of addiction is enhanced when family members and loved ones can participate actively in their recovery program. Last Door's Family Program provides this opportunity for healing and forgiveness.
Thanks to the Committee and everyone who supported this family event! See you next year!

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Alumni of the Month |
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Alumni Chris B |
Hi, my name's Chris and I'm a Door Boy.
First off I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has had anything to do with my journey in recovery since coming to the Last Door as well as anyone reading this, for taking the time to read about how Last Door has helped turn my life around.
For many years my life was controlled by addiction but I seemed to be the only person who wouldn't recognise it as a problem, or at least I wasn't willing to do anything about it. I used to think I was enjoying myself but when I look back at it now, I was always miserable and depressed, I hated myself for how I had treated my family and the people in my life, I couldn't hold a meaningful conversation with any one, and I was letting my life pass me by and anything I had going for me I passed up for drugs. On the tail end of a relapse after a previous treatment attempt, I showed up at the Last Door completely broken and defeated. I was underweight, scared and desperate and unable to look anyone in the eye. I was on bail looking at spending a large part of my 20's behind bars and I was willing to do anything to change the way my life was going.
One of the first things that I noticed about the Door was how happy and open everyone was, this was something very foreign to me but I had hope that if I stuck around I would find some of what they had. Within my first few days at Last Door I realized the importance of NA in the lives of the people who lived there. I listened to people talk about going to meetings, getting a sponsor and writing the steps, people encouraged me to do the same and through doing so I learned about applying spiritual principles such as honesty, open mindedness and willingness to my life and I got to feel the dignity and self respect that comes along with doing the next right thing.
Another part of life that I didn't seem to comprehend until coming to Last Door was taking responsibility for my actions. As I said earlier when I first came to Last Door I was looking at serving a serious chunk of time in prison and I was dealing with the court system throughout my treatment plan, and in the end I had to serve out a sentence and for once in my life take some responsibility for the choices I had made in the past.
Throughout my stay in prison I would always think of the peace I had found in my life while I stayed at the Last Door. I stayed in contact with several of the people I had met in New Westminster, but when I stopped making the phone calls required to stay hooked in I found myself losing the hope of a better life I had once felt and I made the decision to relapse and no longer put energy into the people I had known in recovery. Luckily enough for me, there were people who were not willing to stop putting energy into me and came to visit me and re-inspired me to do something about my life, for that I will always be grateful. I remember a major point of surrender was when I looked back at my life and I came to the realization that in order for me to have any form of dignity in my life, I was to return to the way of living that I was shown to live at Last Door.
Asking to come back to Last Door was by far one of the greatest choices I have made in my life to date. Even though I needed to take the time to relearn how to practice principals in my life I was assured that through writing the steps, it would help sort through the unmanageability in my life. After coming back I made a decision that I was going to make recovery a way of life and that I was in it for the long haul, I took my time on the steps and I invested my time into the relationships that matter most in my life today -my family, friends in recovery and other addicts trying to get clean. The life I have today is something I couldn't have even thought of before coming to The Door, I have dignity and self esteem. I feel like an equal not only in my family but in society in general. I have friends in my life that I laugh with, that I know I can trust with talking about anything that is going on in my life and I get to watch them come out of the same misery of addiction and getting a life that they enjoy living as well.
Chris B
Clean Date December 26, 2010 |
Intro to our Social Model Program |
Please download our new brochure and have a read

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Recreational Activities in the Social Model Program |
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Many people ask "What makes Last Door different than other treatment centres in Canada and the US?"
Answer: Fun in Recovery |
Clients and Staff in two private busses enjoyed a two day weekend campout in Westbank BC.
Everyone participated with recovery workshops, a day at the beach, canoeing, 24 hour 12 step meeting by the fire pit, lots of food, the ride up and the ride home.
A survey was done upon returning back home from the weekend retreat and here is what people are saying:
"Pretty cool"
"The unity building was great"
"It's great to see recovery is portable, and you can do normal things like camping without needing to drink"
"I feel normal"
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Educational and Treatment Film/Videos |
Order from a library of over 300 well-researched, medically accurate films, which showcases such names as Dr. Stanton Samenow, Dr. John Keppler, Damon Berryman, Jim Shelton, Dr. Max Schneider, Father Martin, Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, James Beard, Roberta Meyer, Danny Trejo, Earnie Larsen, Ed Roberts, Dr. David Deitch, Michael Johnson, Delbert Boone, Dr. Claudia Black, Dr. David Ohlms, Brother Earl, and Dennis Daley.

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Thank you,
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Thank you for taking the time to read our monthly emailed newsletter.
Please forward this newsletter on to people you may think would be happy to hear from Last Door.
Sincerely, Giuseppe Ganci
Last Door
Director of Community Development
1-888-525-9771
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