Betty Ann Farrish was from Lucknow, Ontario, the small town that instilled in her the values and vision that made her a passionate advocate for community mental health services, and a leader in creating an organization and environment that would deliver those services. She was the founder and first Executive Director of the Oak Centre: Alternative Community Support, in Welland, and the Lake House, in Port Colborne. She believed that by building healthy communities all of us, including people with mental health issues, would benefit in the long run.
Her involvement with the NDP came out of the belief that the personal is the political and the political is personal. She read voraciously and chose the party that she believed would serve the people she cared about the most; those most vulnerable in our communities. She chose the NDP and was a dedicated active member who attended party meetings, canvassed door to door and contributed financially. At election time, she volunteered many hours on NDP campaigns over the years, working to elect Mel Swart, Peter Kormos and Cindy Forster. Even as her health declined, she continued to participate, attending Jeff Burch’s nomination meeting in 2018. She was steadfast in her beliefs, commitments and vision for positive social change and political action.
Betty was a registered nurse who worked for years at the Psychiatric Unit of the Welland County General Hospital. It was during that time that she came to see that although the hospital provided immediate intervention and treatment for those suffering from mental illness, these individuals needed on-going support in the community in order to recover.
Together with Dr. Abraham, a psychiatrist at the hospital, they successfully applied for funding for a community mental health program and the Oak Centre opened in 1985 in the old nurses’ residence behind the Welland hospital. The Centre opened as a traditional community mental health program offering one-to-one counselling, group psychotherapy, life skills training, and social/recreational activities. Although the services that the Centre offered met a number of needs, Betty envisioned something that would go beyond counselling to foster peer support and enable people to practice the skills that they were acquiring. She began to search for programming models throughout the province. Her search led her to Progress Place in Toronto, a “Clubhouse” organization where she witnessed what she had been looking for; a place where people came together to share skills, strengths and life experiences. It was a noisy, joyful place, bustling with activity. She saw its potential and she knew what it could provide to those who often struggled alone with mental illness.
The following year, she, and Ru Tauro, a social worker at the Oak Centre, went to Progress Place for three weeks of training and then returned to implement the Clubhouse model for the Centre. Gradually, the Oak Centre moved away from providing treatment to creating a place that would support its members, who were living with mental illness, in fulfilling their goals in life. This would include employment, education, housing, increased social interaction, or simply just having a place to belong to.
The Oak Centre evolved and grew over the years, in 1990 it moved from a building on the hospital grounds to a store front on East Main Street, in Welland. In 1993, it divested from the hospital administration and became an independent organization with its own Board of Directors. And in 2000, it moved to its current location on Dorothy Street in a three-storey Victorian House, next to the Welland River, where it continues to welcome and support its members.
Betty understood that safe housing was essential for a person’s stability and mental well-being and to that end she became a member of the Board of Directors of Open Doors Concepts. Open Doors developed and oversaw the construction and organization of Canal View Homes, 60 units of supportive, affordable housing in downtown Welland. Over the years, members of the Oak Centre found a home at Canal View and some have continued to live there for the past 30 years.
Ru Tauro, who succeeded Betty as Executive Director of the Oak Centre, describes Betty as both a gentle soul who was able to touch the lives of the people she served, encouraging them to pursue a life well lived; and a courageous, feisty crusader for the rights of people with mental health issues. She pushed and organized people to make changes to the mental health system by including the voices of the people with lived experiences on planning tables, committees and boards. She wanted the services that were developed and delivered to truly address the person’s needs and personal goals. Betty’s greatest gift was her strong belief in people’s ability to recover. Her daily interactions with people built up their person-hood and gave them strength. Betty knew how to mentor others to continue and expand on her vision of providing a community of support not only for those dealing with mental health issues but for all its citizens.
Cindy Forster, former Welland Mayor and Niagara Centre MPP, who knew Betty for many years and worked with her in general surgery at the Welland hospital, remembers Betty as a great nurse, kind, empathetic for patients and families and a very supportive colleague.
Dawn Breault who worked with Betty at the Psychiatric Unit of the Welland Hospital and was also a Board member with her at Open Doors, describes Betty as a diligent nurse, community leader and a caring individual who had a great deal of experience and generously contributed in numerous ways throughout her life.
In Ru Tauro’s words, “Betty left an indelible mark on many lives…and I might say, she left a better world”.
Her involvement with the NDP came out of the belief that the personal is the political and the political is personal. She read voraciously and chose the party that she believed would serve the people she cared about the most; those most vulnerable in our communities. She chose the NDP and was a dedicated active member who attended party meetings, canvassed door to door and contributed financially. At election time, she volunteered many hours on NDP campaigns over the years, working to elect Mel Swart, Peter Kormos and Cindy Forster. Even as her health declined, she continued to participate, attending Jeff Burch’s nomination meeting in 2018. She was steadfast in her beliefs, commitments and vision for positive social change and political action.
Betty was a registered nurse who worked for years at the Psychiatric Unit of the Welland County General Hospital. It was during that time that she came to see that although the hospital provided immediate intervention and treatment for those suffering from mental illness, these individuals needed on-going support in the community in order to recover.
Together with Dr. Abraham, a psychiatrist at the hospital, they successfully applied for funding for a community mental health program and the Oak Centre opened in 1985 in the old nurses’ residence behind the Welland hospital. The Centre opened as a traditional community mental health program offering one-to-one counselling, group psychotherapy, life skills training, and social/recreational activities. Although the services that the Centre offered met a number of needs, Betty envisioned something that would go beyond counselling to foster peer support and enable people to practice the skills that they were acquiring. She began to search for programming models throughout the province. Her search led her to Progress Place in Toronto, a “Clubhouse” organization where she witnessed what she had been looking for; a place where people came together to share skills, strengths and life experiences. It was a noisy, joyful place, bustling with activity. She saw its potential and she knew what it could provide to those who often struggled alone with mental illness.
The following year, she, and Ru Tauro, a social worker at the Oak Centre, went to Progress Place for three weeks of training and then returned to implement the Clubhouse model for the Centre. Gradually, the Oak Centre moved away from providing treatment to creating a place that would support its members, who were living with mental illness, in fulfilling their goals in life. This would include employment, education, housing, increased social interaction, or simply just having a place to belong to.
The Oak Centre evolved and grew over the years, in 1990 it moved from a building on the hospital grounds to a store front on East Main Street, in Welland. In 1993, it divested from the hospital administration and became an independent organization with its own Board of Directors. And in 2000, it moved to its current location on Dorothy Street in a three-storey Victorian House, next to the Welland River, where it continues to welcome and support its members.
Betty understood that safe housing was essential for a person’s stability and mental well-being and to that end she became a member of the Board of Directors of Open Doors Concepts. Open Doors developed and oversaw the construction and organization of Canal View Homes, 60 units of supportive, affordable housing in downtown Welland. Over the years, members of the Oak Centre found a home at Canal View and some have continued to live there for the past 30 years.
Ru Tauro, who succeeded Betty as Executive Director of the Oak Centre, describes Betty as both a gentle soul who was able to touch the lives of the people she served, encouraging them to pursue a life well lived; and a courageous, feisty crusader for the rights of people with mental health issues. She pushed and organized people to make changes to the mental health system by including the voices of the people with lived experiences on planning tables, committees and boards. She wanted the services that were developed and delivered to truly address the person’s needs and personal goals. Betty’s greatest gift was her strong belief in people’s ability to recover. Her daily interactions with people built up their person-hood and gave them strength. Betty knew how to mentor others to continue and expand on her vision of providing a community of support not only for those dealing with mental health issues but for all its citizens.
Cindy Forster, former Welland Mayor and Niagara Centre MPP, who knew Betty for many years and worked with her in general surgery at the Welland hospital, remembers Betty as a great nurse, kind, empathetic for patients and families and a very supportive colleague.
Dawn Breault who worked with Betty at the Psychiatric Unit of the Welland Hospital and was also a Board member with her at Open Doors, describes Betty as a diligent nurse, community leader and a caring individual who had a great deal of experience and generously contributed in numerous ways throughout her life.
In Ru Tauro’s words, “Betty left an indelible mark on many lives…and I might say, she left a better world”.
