Jessie's background has her firmly planted in Distress Line work. She has facilitated peer suicide awareness programs for high school students,  and has been heavily involved in ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) since 1999. She has a degree in Family and Social Relations from the University of Guelph, which is an applied science program broadly focused on psycho-social development throughout the lifespan. Jessie moved into community development and public education, eventually working as the communication officer for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Wellington / Dufferin. When she was ready for a change, she got involved with Community Torchlight / Distress Centre where she has been since 2005.

"Distress line work is aligned with my personal background and education," explains Jessie, "It's important to me to know that there is a place that disenfranchised people can reach out to when they need it. Distress lines are a critical middle ground between the formal (clinical) and informal supports available to all individuals."

Community Torchlight / Distress Centre of Wellington-Dufferin has gone from having a volunteer-driven distress line as their main service, to now having three separate services plus an increased staff component. Finding funding for the three services has been challenging; Jessie did manage to secure LHIN/MOH funding for TeleCheck, a call-out service to support seniors in their homes which launched in 2004 with Trillium funding.  From 2006-2008, TeleCheck was completely unfunded but they managed to run the program on volunteer hours and strong community partnerships. In 2008, through a new partnership with Telecare Brampton, the two centres submitted a proposal to the Central West LHIN and the TeleCheck program was in funds again.

The future of the Wellington-Dufferin centre lies in Jessie and her team's intention to solidify the distress line and other programs through accreditation, more secure and diverse funding, and future potential partnerships. "Our vision is a caring, responsive community for all," Jessie says, "speaking to the value of our work and the commitment that we continue to see from our volunteers.  Sharing of hope for a caring community."

Jessie has a little more time and autonomy now that her daughter, Scout, is 2 ½. Little Scout, Jessie, and Jessie's husband enjoy gardening and camping together as a family, and the trio frequently find themselves travelling to visit Scout's grandparents - one of eight between Jessie and her husband.

Encouraged by one of her psychology professors who happened to sit on the board of directors for DC Niagara, Dee Tyler came to the Niagara centre as a psychology student seeking practical experience in 1989. While still a volunteer, she began working part time at the centre in 1991 taking calls, doing call assessments, providing feedback, and debriefing with volunteers after challenging calls. In 1994, she was hired as a trainer and by 2001, Dee moved into the Executive Director position at the Distress Centre Niagara.

Dee succinctly explains what distress line work means to her: "I love working with people".

Dee likes to ride her motorcycle wherever there are long and uninterrupted roads, plays hockey, and likes to ski. She is an avid reader in both fiction and non-fiction, loves all types of music, and plays piano and flute.