Boozhoo PACE Inc. 

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I am writing this letter on behalf of myself and my family. For a number of years now Ken and his P.A.C.E Inc. program have been a very big part of our lives. 

My brother was the first to use his services. There was a period in his life where he was lost and insecure. He contemplated suicide multiple times. We had no idea where to turn. My brother faced many obstacles in finding help. The biggest was social anxiety. If you’re familiar with it you can understand that finding help or resources is nearly impossible because this means you need to reach out for help but your anxiety is so high that it prevents this. Ken was referred to us by the W.I.E.S. He was amazing. The support he gave continued through the years. What they talked about and what they worked on has always remained confidential. Ken still asks about my brother and how he’s doing. My brother will be 30 in January. The support Ken gave didn’t end when my brother's need for the services did. He stayed in touch. 

My niece came to live with me through CAS. She also used the P.A.C.E Inc. program on and off for many years. She was withdrawn and had been in foster care for most of her life. She had also been contemplating suicide. I didn’t know how to support her. I turned to Ken and the P.A.C.E Inc. program again. I’m not sure what they discussed or what tools or practices they used. Ken had always kept me informed of the progress they were making or if he thought there was something I could contribute on my end without breaking the confidentiality of his work. I have a great respect for him for being able to do this. When she felt incompatible with one counsellor he introduced her to another. He made an effort to find the right person for her. One that she was comfortable with, one that she could be confident with. He made appointments according to her needs. Not just a monthly scheduled session with whoever would be available as had happened with another program. My niece is now an adult. She has told me on more than one occasion that she was grateful that I called Ken. She still uses techniques taught to her by his amazing team. She had used more than one counselling provider and never made the kind of progress as she did with P.A.C.E Inc. 

I believe our greatest contribution from Ken and his P.A.C.E Inc. program came when my youngest daughter needed someone. My daughter has also used the services of Ken and his team. She lived in a rural, isolated Northern Ontario community. She was bullied a lot. The darkest parts of our life came while we lived there. The first time my youngest daughter told me she no longer cared if she lived or died hit me hard, she was 10. She tried to electrocute herself with a toaster in the tub. I was so far away from home. So far from help so far from family. I had Ken’s phone number on my cell phone. It was the middle of the night. I texted him. He answered. He didn’t have to, but he did. He guided me through the process of finding help in an isolated community. He stayed with me by being a phone call or text away. Constantly asking and constantly providing help and guidance. This went on for months at a time. He cared enough to make himself available anytime, day or night. He would also take the time to inquire about me. He would listen to me cry my heart out. He gave me support over the phone when I needed it badly. 

My daughter would go on to have good and rough periods throughout the next few years. She has scars from cutting herself and scars from hurting herself. She’s been hospitalized for overdoses and hospitalized for self inflicted traumas. Through all of this Ken stayed by our side counselling over the phone. When we came home to Walpole he entered her into the P.A.C.E Inc. program. He set her up with one of his therapists. It was a bit of a struggle at first to get my daughter to commit to the program. She had a severe lack of trust and had withdrawn into herself. She also had the “I don’t care about anything” attitude. She would drop appointments last minute or get to the appointment and not go in. Her time slot, so to speak, would be done, but not on Ken’s end. He pushed and pulled and gave and gave and eventually broke the barrier that my daughter had so perfectly created. When in-person office appointments weren’t working out, they would do over the phone appointments. We were also offered at home appointments and video calls. Ken made sure that all services available to my daughter were made known and helped her to utilize them all. Ken and his therapist did for her what I could not provide. They gave me back my daughter. They gave my daughter the tools to manage life. They gave me back my family more than once. For that alone I will always be so thankful to him and his amazing team at Pace. 

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Miigwech