Vancouver Island Voices for Eating Disorders

A collection of voices (those with lived and living experience) passionate about raising awareness and advocating for those experiencing eating disorders in our community (and beyond).

Update 2025

September 19th, 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,

Kalina Hunter (she/her)

Chelsea Kelly (she/her)

Celeste Macevicius (she/her)

Shaely Ritchey (they/she)

And other members of our team who choose to remain anonymous, but are integral to our work

(Directors of) Vancouver Island Voices for Eating Disorders (VIVED)

Jonny Morris (he/him)

CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC)

What These Values Mean to Us

Non-judgment - we accept all persons with compassion, regardless of where they are at in their journey.

Inclusivity - we aim to foster a sense of belonging through acceptance and compassion. We aim to broaden the ideas that surround eating disorders. To be a voice for those whom stereotypes disadvantage. To work from a place of acknowledgment of the intersections in our society that leave some more disadvantaged than others.

Respect - our organization endeavors to embody a consistently respectful nature in all aspects of our business. We direct this respect not only towards ourselves and our work, but also towards the individuals, groups and environments with whom we interact.

Safety - we aim to create a safe space where people feel comfortable sharing and learning; where vulnerability is seen as a strength. Where there is no fear of further loss, hurt, or non-acceptance.

Awareness - we aim to create awareness that allows for education, promotes understanding, encourages curiosity, and creates room for compassion.