Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK)

Mission Statement

Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK) is a confidential, anonymous, and non-judgemental volunteer based support service. TALK's aim is to meet the needs of a diverse population by providing an empowering, empathetic, and safe environment through the provision of a listening phone service, community outreach and education.

History

Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK) is a non-profit, volunteer based organization. We have been serving the Kingston area for over 25 years.

TALK was set up by a small group of people who believed a listening phone line would be a valuable service in the community. In 1973, the first call was answered. We were called Telephone Aid Kingston (TAK), and our hours were from 7pm to 7 am, closed during the summer.

In the 1980's, we were open every night of the year, and we extended our weekend hours. They became 7pm to 7am during the week, and 7pm to noon on the weekends. We also developed our first publication, the "Single Parent's Resource Guide". TALK also became an accredited member of Distress Centres Ontario.

In the 1990's, we officially changed our name to Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK). We also published our first "Learning to Listen" guide, which was then called "If a Friend Freaks".

TALK continues to work to provide various services to meet the changing needs of the community.

Our funds come from various funding initiatives. Everything we provide is free of charge. If you would like to make a financial contribution, please contact us.