Calgary Herald

HERALD CHRISTMAS FUND

Mustard Seed helps reclaim lives

- CHRIS NELSON

Deb Runnalls has been a part of other people’s miracles for so long that maybe it’s her turn to be on the receiving end. Perhaps she won’t go blind.

And if not? Then she won’t let it drag her down. In fact, she’s already making plans to continue working among those she loves and cares for at Calgary’s Mustard Seed — ground zero for those down on their luck in our city — even if the rare condition that’s destroying the pupils of both eyes can’t be halted.

Runnalls is housing director at the Seed and has responsibi­lity for its various residentia­l properties and the teams that work in them. With hundreds of folk in various stages of despair, agony and blessed recovery, that seems a massive task. But not to her. Actually, she reckons it isn’t really a job at all. The way she explains it is that she retired decades ago. How can doing what you love ever be called work?

She must be among Canada’s longest-serving retirees. Runnalls and her husband — with two of their toddlers in tow — first began helping others more than three decades ago when they successful­ly applied to look after a handful of young offenders and start a group home in London, Ont.

“I was 22 with these young offenders aged from 14 to 17. That is when I knew that these were kids written off by society. It was devastatin­g for me to realize children could be that at risk,” she recalls.

Today, Runnalls has four grown children and five grandkids with 18 more little ones counted as offspring from all those young men she helped get back on life’s track long ago in Ontario.

The Mustard Seed is one of 12 beneficiar­ies of the 2017 Herald Christmas Fund. Dollars donated by the public help The Seed and others do their vital work in the community. But if you are going to give your hard-earned money to a charity, then surely you should know about the folk, like Runnalls, who work behind the scenes.

“The Seed is Calgary. That is where it was born and it is an agency that has served people for many years. Its power is that we look to community for our support and we also look to the community as to where we can help.”

Runnalls notes that the Mustard Seed has grown from just being a shelter.

There’s an employment program where clients can learn computer skills. The wellness centre offers medical care but also occupation­al therapists and counsellor­s.

“So much of that is preventive … In fact, you don’t have to be homeless to use our services; someone might know they are going to lose their job and need help. Or have been hit with a mental illness and mental illness is not very fussy about status. It can arrive at anyone’s door at any time,” said Runnalls.

To interject, because when this lady is on a roll you’d better move aside, the Seed is comprised of the original building at 102 11th Ave. S.E., a newer residentia­l tower with 224 units for singles and couples, a shelter in the Foothills industrial area, and several harm reduction apartments for those just off the streets and battling the demons of addiction and mental illness.

Tenants in the tower block pay rent and work with counsellor­s to get their lives back on track. Some stay permanentl­y while others use it as a stepping stone back into mainstream society. All types of people, regardless of background, can end up there.

“We see people down on their luck from every section of this city. It can hit anyone. We have people with degrees in our shelter. Often in an economic downturn like this they can be the ones who go first and they lose everything after having lived a certain lifestyle for a certain amount of time. Also, addiction doesn’t care who it picks, nor does elder abuse or domestic violence,” added Runnalls.

The government provides 40 per cent of the funding for the Mustard Seed. Donors supply the rest. Calgarians have supported this shelter ever since it dragged itself into being back in the mid’80s.

But sadly, in tough times, vital donations from the corporate sector get squeezed at the same time that demand for service goes up.

“Because we are a communityb­ased organizati­on, the majority of the funds we have coming in are from the community rather than government. What we have found with the downturn is the big donors — often the oil and gas companies — we used to count on are also suffering. That affects donations, not just of cash, but also with their staff coming and helping out.”

“It makes it difficult for nonprofits to provide that care at a time when the requiremen­t has grown because there are more people at risk of homelessne­ss than ever before. We have seen the number who need help grow while the dollars have fallen off,” she added.

Runnalls is now 58 — it has been a long journey from the time when a new mom took a chance on wayward teens back in Ontario many years ago. She’ll know soon the likely timeline in which her sight will disappear altogether. With no cure, it seems inevitable she will go blind.

She’s already making plans for that day.

We can pray. But often that isn’t enough. So before the seemingly inevitable happens perhaps she deserves to see, perhaps for the final time, the generosity of Calgarians.

The 2017 Calgary Herald Christmas fund has raised $539,317.47 so far.

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 ?? LEAH HENNEL ?? Deb Runnalls, Mustard Seed housing director, left, with client Les H. Runnalls suffers from a rare condition that’s destroying the pupils of both eyes, but that is not stopping her from continuing her work.
LEAH HENNEL Deb Runnalls, Mustard Seed housing director, left, with client Les H. Runnalls suffers from a rare condition that’s destroying the pupils of both eyes, but that is not stopping her from continuing her work.
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