January 6, 2023
It is with profound sadness that we at Krasman Centre share the news that our beloved colleague and friend, Theresa Claxton-Wali, has passed away. Theresa was in the role of Peer Recovery Education and Advocacy Manager, with Krasman Centre, and an integral member of our Leadership Team. Theresa was passionate about inspiring hope for people with mental health and substance use/addictions challenges and Theresa was a true giant and pioneer of the Peer Support Movement – advocating for the rights and ‘voice’ of People with Lived Experience.
Her invaluable contributions to Consumer Survivor Initiatives and the Peer Support Movement will continue to be widely felt in Ontario, across Canada, and internationally. Theresa was committed to centering the voices of People with Lived Experience – she fought endlessly for our right to self-determination and for us to be treated with dignity and respect.
Much of Krasman Centre’s strength and success can be attributed to Theresa. She was an expert group facilitator and Peer Support mentor, offering recovery education sessions for countless individuals over the years, inspiring hope, and recovery. During her admirable career, Theresa trained hundreds of people in the practice of Peer Support, supporting them in their recovery, in finding and maintaining meaningful employment, and ensuring the Peer Support sector would grow and thrive. Theresa directly influenced notable improvements in mainstream mental health and addiction services. She was instrumental in the implementation of Peer Supporters working alongside clinicians in hospital emergency departments and hospital inpatient units in North Toronto and York Region. Through sharing her own lived experiences and raising the voices of others at system-level tables – her presence and advocacy was impactful and change-making.
On a personal level, Theresa will be forever remembered for her warmth, humour, generosity, selflessness, and thoughtfulness. She understood the importance of simple, yet powerful acts of kindness and ensuring others were ‘seen’ and ‘heard’. Theresa coined the expression of who we are, included in our agency’s name – Krasman Centre: Inspiring Excellence in Peer Support One Connection at a Time. This will always be a reminder to us of Theresa’s commitment to recognizing the implicit value and beauty in each of us and the long-lasting positive impact that is made possible through authentic Peer Support connections.
We are honoured to have been in Theresa’s presence. We will strive to carry on her legacy by continuing and building on the programs she developed, continuing to work to maintain the integrity and fidelity of Peer Support, advocating for social justice, and treating one another with kindness, dignity, and respect. Our hearts go out to her family and friends and to the thousands of people touched by her work and her life.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, beginning at 10 am at the Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home 6191 Yonge Street in North York. Funeral Service will follow at 12 noon.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kanejerrettnorthyork.ca for the Claxton family.
If you need to get in touch with us, please email: info@krasmancentre.com
Please take care you yourselves and one another. As Theresa would say, “Wishing you peace and good mental health”.
Krasman Centre