The Latest From Mark Cherrington - Ninth Edition

The Fundraiser Was a Huge Success!

We had our first fundraiser on May 2nd! From overcoming initial nerves about the upfront cost and ticket sales to eventually selling out, the night was a tremendous success!

The event raised funds through ticket sales and auction items, such as a Connor McDavid Oilers jersey, contributing positively to the Coalition's sustainability efforts to provide food vouchers, clothing, and more to those in need, including families and at-risk individuals.

Many members of our community attended, including some Twitter followers, the Defense Bar, and some Justices. A huge THANK YOU to everyone for making this possible!

Post Fundraiser Thoughts

So apologies. I haven't been posting much in the weeks since the fundraiser. It was a huge success. We SOLD OUT! There were many Defense Firms and some Justices. It was a good time, and we made a bit of money. So that helps us. That really helps us. If you choose to donate, that really helps—it also helps me and the Coalition. Just go to our website. 

You can give a tax-deductible donation, a one-time donation, or a monthly donation. It's really appreciated. I really need it because I'm a free service, and I help or try to help many people.

The Month of May

So far this month, I have tried to help 123 clients. These include 9 babies, 3 adults over the age of 80, and one man aged 96.

Why am I involved in trying to help those who should not be at risk?

Part of the answer is that Income Support has been a big player in these babies' lives. So I reach out and try to help.

Some people on the phone cut off benefits and, in my personal opinion, break the law by putting children in imminent danger.

I've told them this... but they continue to cause this trauma and chaos without pause, nor does it seem with any concern about what they are doing.

Helping A Young Mom Get Income Support Benefits

I helped a young Mom today obtain her Income Support benefits. Once again, they cut off a Mom because she could not provide bank statements and had no ID. Banks won't release private information to just anybody, and rightfully so.

Mom and her kids were placed in a hotel, but it was too far for her children to go to school. This family was tossed into a stressful and turbulent situation by Income Support.

Assisting a Mom With the Help of the Somalian Community

I met with a Somalian community leader. We are strategizing how to assist a Mom who lives in Uganda and has cancer. Some international organizations may be able to assist.

Another Fight With Income Support To Help A Young Mom

I met with a young mother of a 4-year-old who's also the Primary Caregiver for a 9 and 13-year-old. There's also a quadriplegic in the household. The reason I'm angry is that Income Support cut this family off. This happens far too often to many vulnerable people who rely on Income Support.

Income Support often cuts people off and only lets them know after the fact, causing all this chaos, which is ridiculous. They cut off this Mom because of “questionable” e-transfers in her account.

Her quadriplegic cousin finds it hard to go to the bank, and it's even more difficult because he has no picture ID. So, the most sensible and easiest way is for him to make e-transfers to his cousin, the Mom who lives with them. She pays the bills and gets the money.

She told Income Support all this, and they said it doesn't matter. They count ANY money deposited into an account as “income.” This is a terrible system that we have. Sorry, I almost swore. It's destroying families, and this is the fault of our Alberta government. They're understaffed and underfunded, have too many clients, and are doing nothing about these issues and nothing to help this family.

Emergency Income Support

I helped a single Mom who was denied funds by Emergency Income Support for her children who hadn't eaten and were starving. She was told to go to the food bank, which she had exhausted, and had to wait 2 weeks to go again.

Emergency Income Support is NOT the same as Income Support. With Emergency Income Support, they’re not supposed to have the same process to qualify for it. You apply, express the dire need, and they provide funds.

Regular Income Support requires a person to jump through a few hoops, including providing bank statements, which can take weeks to process.

In this case, for some ridiculous reason, the case worker demanded she jump through some hoops to qualify, and she was denied because she couldn’t meet those demands.

Income Support Cuts Off An Indigenous Mom

Alberta Income Support cut off benefits to a young Indigenous mother as she could not provide her bank statements. She can't get these bank statements because she has no govt ID. She can't get ID because she has no money because Income Support cut her off. This Ministry is heartless and puts children at risk. This was the latest stab in this mom's back by the Alberta government and Minister Jason Nixon.

My New Podcast

Kevin and I recorded the first episode of my podcast shortly before my first gala fundraiser. Please check it out on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

We have recorded episode 2. Patreon supporters can watch or listen on Friday, and everyone else on Monday June 3rd.

In Conclusion

I am a FREE service to all, and I try to help people in whatever capacity I can and in whatever way people feel comfortable with.

That involves things like rent, food and baby formula, over-the-counter medication, as well as traveling expenses, like driving out of town, driving people to treatment centers, taking them to court, and more.

The gala in early May means a lot to me and the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights, and the vulnerable people I help. Thank you to all who support me! Your support is VERY vital, and I'm ALWAYS here to help!

Please consider a one-time or monthly recurring donation. Your donations are the ONLY way I can continue helping people abandoned by this government.

Alternatively, you can send me a direct e-transfer, and I can use those funds right away. Please send them to [email protected]. No secret answer needed. Thank you!

I provide funds to vulnerable individuals for essential items like bus tickets, food, hygiene products, and much more.

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