Sustaining Voices: Operational Support for Peer-Led Eating Disorder Advocacy
Update 2025
Victoria Foundation Vital Stream Grant: Intermediary Partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association (BC Division)
Registering Vancouver Island Voices for Eating Disorders (VIVED) as a Non-Profit Society in the Province of British Columbia
Earlier this summer, Vancouver Island Voices for Eating Disorders (VIVED) in an intermediary partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC), was selected as a recipient for the Victoria Foundation’s Vital Stream Grant. We are incredibly grateful to the Victoria Foundation for selecting our application and supporting our work. This is a significant moment for VIVED as our team members have largely supported our work through our own finances alongside generous donations from our community. The opportunity to support and expand our work in partnership with CMHA BC is something we have been working towards for a number of years.
This grant will help support VIVED’s basic operational needs and allow us to continue to serve our community in a number of ways, including:
Providing peer support to our community
Investing in technology upgrades
Improving our website
Participating in local events and hosting information tables
Providing educational in-services from a lived and living experience perspective to healthcare staff or other mental health organizations
Planning events and awareness campaigns
Surveying our peer community
Researching current and emerging advancements in eating disorder treatment
Offering honoraria to individuals with lived and living experience that we consult with
Attending and speaking at conferences
Supporting our team’s capacity for the work we do on a volunteer basis
As a part of this process, VIVED is re-registering as an official non-profit society in the province of British Columbia. Once finalized, we will begin recruiting new members. The opportunities to participate in the work we are doing and engage with our organization on various levels will shift, and we will keep our community informed as these changes unfold.
We look forward to these next steps we get to share with our community and thank you for your continued support.
With gratitude,
VIVED Board of Directors:
Kalina Hunter, director (she/her)
Chelsea Kelly, director (she/her)
Celeste Macevicius, director (she/her)
Shaely Ritchey, director (they/she)
SM, officer
CHMA BC:
Jonny Morris, CEO (he/him)
