When Distress Centre Calgary first opened its doors in 1970, it was not the large, multi-service crisis organization it is today. It was a small room, a handful of volunteers, and a shared belief that no one should struggle alone.
There were no automated systems or digital tools. There was only the power of a human voice.
That simple, profound belief, that listening saves lives, built the foundation for more than five decades of service. And today, it continues to shape every corner of Distress Centre Calgary.
Where It All Began
Distress Centre Calgary began as the Drug Information Centre, a place where anyone could call for clear, non-judgmental information. Volunteers responded to nearly 4,000 calls that first year.
Very quickly, the community’s needs grew. People needed support for more than drug-related questions. They needed a place to talk through fear, grief, overwhelm and crisis. So in 1975, DCC launched Calgary’s first general crisis line.
The belief that a human connection could save a life continued to drive innovation:
• 1983: Canada’s first teen peer support line
• 1990s: Expansion of specialized lines, partnerships and crisis response
• 2011–2013: Youth chat, email and texting services launched
• 2021: 24/7 crisis text and chat made available to all Albertans
• Today: Key responder for 988, 211 provider for Southern Alberta and lead agency for homelessness navigation
Every milestone was sparked by the same thing that started it all: people who cared.
And now with our match, your support can go twice as far!
A Leader Who Grew Alongside Us: Robyn’s Story
Among those people is our CEO, Robyn Romano.
Before Robyn led Distress Centre Calgary, she walked through our doors as a nervous social work practicum student. During her interview, staff paused the formal questions and simply asked why she wanted to be here. They talked as humans, not professionals, and something clicked.
Within minutes, she felt at home.
Robyn completed her practicum in the volunteer program and stayed with the organization year after year, taking on roles across the agency, crisis line worker, volunteer supervisor, 211 program leader, Director of Operations, Interim Executive Director and finally CEO.
Her leadership is not built on strategy alone. It is grounded in lived experience on the crisis lines and shaped by years spent listening to people in their hardest moments.
Robyn often says that her career was shaped by one belief:
Whenever someone reaches out in crisis, a real human being must be there to answer.
That belief aligns perfectly with the culture Distress Centre was founded on more than 50 years ago, one defined by compassion, integrity, service to others, collaboration and belonging.
AI can enhance efficiency, but it cannot create culture. It cannot build trust. It cannot hear the tremble in someone’s voice or sense the silence after someone says they cannot keep going.
But people can.
Robyn can.
Our volunteers can.
And donors like you make it possible.
A Legacy Sustained by Human Connection
Our history shows what happens when communities invest in people helping people. From that first room in 1970 to today’s integrated crisis, 211, homelessness, youth and counselling programs, our evolution has always been powered by humans, not automation.
Because of donors, Distress Centre Calgary grew from a single phone line into the organization Alberta depends on today!
Our services require human empathy. Human intuition. Human care.
And donors have empowered that for more than fifty years.
The Future: Keeping Connection Human
Robyn’s leadership, like the leadership of those before her, reflects the heart of Distress Centre Calgary’s mission: to make sure anyone in crisis is met with a human voice, day or night.
As we face rising demand, complex needs and a world leaning heavily into automated solutions, Distress Centre Calgary remains grounded in human connection. Because of donors, we continue to do what we have always done best, listen, support, guide and save lives.
And right now, through our matching campaign, every donation goes twice as far in keeping crisis support human.
When you give, you continue a legacy built by compassionate people and carried forward by leaders like Robyn.
Because human connection does more than change lives.
Human connection saves lives.
