Joanasie Eegeesiak
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 29/99) - Last Saturday night, Kamatstiaqtut -- the Baffin Help Line -- held its annual celebration and fund-raiser. The two events were held to get more of the public involved.

"The celebration is to celebrate the number of years the Kamatsiaqtut Baffin Crisis Line has been in service, using trained volunteers to help and support the people of Nunavut and Nunavik," said Sheila Levy, organizer and co-chair of the help line.

The help line has fielded many calls over the years and the trained volunteers talk to people who need help, want support and want to make some changes in their lives, Levy explained. They often phone the help line because they want to remain anonymous.

Everybody from the community was welcome to attend the celebration. Levy said a number of volunteers attended the function and that they also set up the party and entertained. There were many door prizes for trips and other gifts handed out during the evening, and more than 100 people came out to support the worthy cause.

"This was the ninth year to celebrate. We add something new every year and try to make things a little bit different each year," said Levy.

The help line receives a lot of corporate sponsorship as well as donations from individuals. Canadian North is one of the corporate sponsors and has been for a number of years. First Air and Kenn Borek Air, as well as many other businesses in Iqaluit, also support the Kamatsiaqtut Crisis Line.

"Our goal is just to keep offering the service...and to get more volunteers if possible," said Levy.

Levy helped start the help line nine years ago.

"There was a group of us that started organizing and getting some money, getting the place and the phones."

Levy's co-chair, Alexina Kublu, said the group came together mostly because there were a number of suicides being committed in the East.

"This was to try to answer the need of people in a crisis situation. There was a lot of suicide happening and a number of concerned people got together and thought that they needed a way to try to help," said Kublu.

"A few years ago during one of the board meetings they were talking about the crisis line and because of the number of calls they get, it's not always just people in crisis who call, it's people who are calling because they need someone to talk to," said Kublu.

The help line started off just for the people of Iqaluit, but since the installation of a toll-free line, calls now come in from people in many other regions.