Lucas, Chris and Alex at Hoover Dam.

Guys on the Vegas Strip

"Louis" came on holidays with us. I'd have to guess he HATED the flight. He preferred driving.

Happy 21st Birthday Chris!!

It’s not just the charity visits that I missed, but my team at the Foundation and the structure that gets me up in the mornings and keeps me going all day.

This has me sounding a bit like a workaholic and I suppose if I considered what I do every day work, I may just have to take on that title.  Lucky for me, my day to day feels less like work and more like a personal evolution.

I’ll admit, it took me a bit to get back on track…I hit my snooze button more times than I normally do and I needed the jolt of a few extra coffees, but by the time I was dressed and out the door, I had the enthusiasm of an 8 year old at Disneyworld.

My charity visits this week were with both Colleen, and Kevin (from our Foundation office).  Here in Kevin’s words is an overview;

I had the privilege of joining Julie and Colleen on one of their many charity visits. It certainly was an eye-opening experience to hear the common challenges most charities face in their day-to-day operations.

First up, we had the pleasure of speaking with the folks at Oolagen (www.oolagen.org). Oolagen was founded in 1967 by Jim Wakeford, and is a Cree word meaning “where flowers grow”.

Julie, Caroline, Bob and Ruth at Oolagen

We were greeted by Caroline Sneath (Director of Development), Ruth Dorfman (Individual and Family Therapist), as well as a delicious lunch! Unfortunately, I was writing so furiously, I had to take mine for the road. Bob Engel (Executive Director) joined us about halfway through the meeting and gave some insights into the struggles they face. The biggest issue being funding.

Oolagen hosts a Walk-In Clinic for youths aged 13-18, every Tuesday from 2-8pm, and the clinic sees approximately 300 youth per year. It is also used as an intake system. Kids can use the walk-in clinic as many times as they want until they are able to get into a treatment program, as the wait for treatment could be upwards of one year.

The prevalent issues the clinic deals with are mental health issues – from suicidal ideation to depression. Caroline mentioned that only 1 in 5 youth get the help they need regarding mental health. Bob said that number is probably more like 1 in 4.

I was taken aback to hear that – I imagined in this day and age, a lot more kids would be able to get the help they need!

If you want to meet someone who personifies community, look no further than Matteo Severino, who oversees the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club (http://www.dovercourtkids.com/dovercourt-index.html). The club serves members who are bordered by Lansdowne Avenue to the west, Ossington Avenue to the east , Dupont Avenue to the North,  and Bloor St. W. to the south.  Memberships are only $10-$20 per year and offer so much for kids, from 5 to 17 years old.

Me, Julie and Matteo at Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club

Through fundraising endeavours, such as a fundraising concert by Nelly Furtado ($286, 000 in one night!), Matteo and the club managed to raise $800,000 to build a much-needed second floor (although it took 54 years to do it) . This floor will house a new computer lab, greenhouse, theatre (Nelly’s Theatre), and a brand-new elevator.

Listening to Matteo talk about his community and the club, I was overwhelmed at how much the club means to the community. He spoke of parents who came to the club when they were little, and whose kids are now members.  Matteo truly inspired me to want to do more in my own community.

Our final stop of the day took us into Etobicoke, with a visit to Youth Without Shelter (http://www.yws.on.ca/). YWS is a 50 bed (30 emergency beds, 20 stay in school program) shelter housing youth from 16 to 24 years old. The areas are coed, one side being the emergency beds, the other is the Stay In School program.

We met with Wendy Horton (Executive Director) and Judy Leroux (Development Manager) who gave us a tour of the facility, as well as describing some of the programs that are run. YWS doesn’t take a cookie cutter approach to treatment, as every case is different. Most of the youth come from abusive backgrounds, crown wards, welfare and foster homes.

Judy, Me, Wendy and Colleen at Youth Without Shelter

YWS runs 4 programs:

1. Emergency Housing – 30 beds, helps get youth in to permanent or transitional housing, provide life skills, work with local landlords and opens doors that normally wouldn’t be open
2. STEPS – day program, 7 days a week, open to current and former residents. Teaches life skills, job hunting, résumé writing, anger management
3. Stay in School – 20 beds, provides tutors, 24hr computer access, open door environment, require to bring bi-weekly attendance record to show commitment to school/program
4. Room Mates – sponsored rooms by companies, youth can decorate their rooms, give a sense of ownership

Walking through the space, I had the feeling that Wendy and Judy run a tight ship, and the youth really respect what they are doing.

It was a very overwhelming day for me. Sitting down with each one of these charities and discovering that both funding and mental health issues are the 2 major hurdles faced daily, it makes me appreciate what each one does that much more.

This Wednesday and Thursday I’ll be visiting charities in Acton, Stratford and Windsor…more from me at the end of the week.

Julie

See what I mean

And then again....

I thought I was kind of in the know…in the loop and up to speed on what’s going on with young people but apparently I’ve fallen a bit behind. I discovered this last night when one of my kids proclaimed it was “Jersday”.  Yup, Jersey Shore on a Thursday makes it Jersday in the mind of some teens with disappointing taste in television.

I would rather get a bikini wax by a blindfolded esthetician in training, than watch an episode of that horrible display of hormones, fake tans, 80’s hair and muscle shirts.

8 “Guidos and Guidettes” are living together in the same home for the summer and the viewer gets to follow them as they make absolute fools of themselves.  The cast are rude, ignorant, sex-crazed and almost always intoxicated.  Relationships are broken, strangers are picked up at bars, tears continuously streaking mascara down the faces of the female cast, hair teased so high it comes as no surprise ceiling fans are restricted in the house. The vocabulary is appalling and the entire cast is just dripping sleeze.

Jersey Shore has become one of the most watched television shows in the world, which makes it obvious that many, many many people feel differently than I do (and I’m okay with that).

Whatever happened to Little House on the Prairie, the Partridge Family or Father Knows Best?  Is Beaver Cleaver still around?   What about the Brady Bunch…THEY seemed to get along well, without too much drama and THEY all lived under one roof?

Ste. Louise Outreach

www.stelouisefoodbank.com

Catherine, Neda, me and Lourde

Catherine and Enrique

Baby Food and Formula donations always required.

Ste.Louise is so linked into it’s community, so passionate about what they do with a great deal of compassion for their clients, I’d be tempted to stop in for a visit quite regularly to be a part of the experience.

Catherine has been running the food bank for the past 14 years, she is supported by her husband Enrique and on the day we visited we also met Neha and Lourde.  Neha is doing a College co-op at Ste. Louise and Lourde has been at Ste. Louise for the past 20 years and will within the next few months be receiving a long-term service award form the city.  All of them are working at St. Louise for their Brampton community as volunteers.

I loved EVERYTHING about the way this food bank is run.  They are unbelievably efficient with their space, making use of every inch and moving things around on a regular basis to accommodate peak and down times.  When their food area is not stocked with food (due to summertime lulls in food donations), they collect and distribute donated furniture for their clients. Over the holidays, donated gifts for kids are stored in the donated clothing room (because the donation of gifts is much greater than that of clothes at that time of year).

Catherine participates in a monthly meeting with the other Brampton Food Banks, to review their inventories and work through a food sharing and balancing process. They swap their food items in order to meet each of the food banks needs.

The local police departments get together to collect non-perishables for St. Louis through an initiative called “Cram a Cruiser”…I love IT!

I could go on forever about this organization…there are so many great things happening there. But, for now I’ll share another something that was blaringly obvious to me…they are brilliant about how they engage, encourage, inspire and recognize their volunteers.  Catherine would not take a single compliment without acknowledging their community and the volunteers that work directly with them at Ste. Louise.

A very uplifting visits…one that felt much, much too short.  Catherine, you and your team are true gems!

ResQ

www.Resqyouth.com

Website not up yet…I’m sure they’d love the support of any web design people out there willing to help get their site up and running. You’d be doing something kind for a worthy organization.The team at ResQ

The Team at ResQ

ResQ is an organization that advocates for their clients through their schools and sometimes the court system.  They provide support and outreach…also finding tutors and counselors for the young people they work with.  Their goal is to keep young men and women in school and out of trouble.

The team at ResQ work as mediators between parents, schools and kids.  They help simplify both the school and court systems in a way that parents and their kids can understand. They run workshops that empower parents and provide moral support. Many parents have no idea of their rights or the rights of their children within the school or court system and ResQ helps clarify those for them.

There are no fees for any of their services and they have no paid staff.  The centre is able to keeps its doors open thanks to the generosity of its community and the staff that work for free.

Abigail, ResQ’s ED has a background in Education and most recently as a Provincial Prosecutor.  Both those roles helped prepare her for what she is currently doing for the youth and their families needing the services of ResQ.

During the visit, I had the opportunity to meet many of the young adults volunteering at ResQ from various College Community Service and Community Justice Programs.  It was encouraging to see these young people looking to make their careers in the social service sector.

I’m going to be on a charity visit hiatus until March 30^th.

Have both Foundation and Holiday travels between now and then. End of March and into April will have me finishing off the charity visits I committed to…makes me a little sad that my visits will soon be over.

Julie

Our Place Peel

Just SOME of the support at OUR PLACE.

www.ourplacepeel.org

Our Place Peel provides shelter, support and hope for homeless and disadvantaged youth aged 16 – 21 in the Region of Peel. They offer emergency shelter a resource room and community outreach services.

They help kids stay in their own community, close to school, jobs, and any family or peer support they have. They housed over 550 young people last year, but had to turn away over 500 kids due to lack of space. Presently, Our Place Peel is restoring it’s centre and making changes to it that will accommodate 20 beds.

Because this is an emergency shelter, the stay cannot exceed 3 weeks, making counseling, training and the necessary support not as effective as it could be. I’ve visited many shelters but wasn’t hit with the impact a short term stay can have on kids.  Because they are required to leave emergency shelters after just 3 weeks, they are forced to shelter hop until they can find longer term accommodations.  It seems that much of the support that is provided to them (except for a safe environment and roof over their heads), goes to waste unless a system can be developed to provide ongoing support even after the kids have left the shelter.  So much of the support is lost once the kids leave and they have to start the intake process all over again at another shelter.

Many of the youth coming to the shelter have left their homes in a hurry and because the nature of moving from one place to another so often results in no i.d. or the loss of i.d., replacing it is a huge undertaking. If the kids have no i.d., they cannot open a bank account and without a bank account they can’t get Ontario Works (their monthly provincial support) and without their monthly support there is no way they can pay rent.  Without a Social Insurance number they cannot get work.  In many cases the workers at one shelter will begin the process for the youth, but part way through, the kids are required to leave and with no forwarding address, their i.d. cannot get to them. And so the vicious cycle continues.

Armagh

Play Centre

www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s13257

Armagh is non-profit second-stage housing which offers a safe, supportive environment for abused women and their children. They do all that they can to support their belief that everyone has the right to live without fear of physical psychological, emotional or sexual abuse.

Armagh is the only Second-Stage home in all of Peel.  Women and their children can stay with them for a year less a day.  Once they arrive, they are assigned a case worker and that case worker is their support throughout the entire year. This case worker provides them the support and connects them to the resources they need to help them get back on their feet.

The women are required to pay rent geared to income, which encourages them to continue to work and teaches them budgeting skills as well.  The families are encouraged to use the services of a local food bank and to become independent while knowing and feeling that they are supported through the process.

Heather, thank you so much for the tour…thank you for being so open, enthusiastic and for sharing so much of your experiences at Armagh.

The Cerebral Palsy Support Foundation of Canada

Frank, Jessica and Evan

www.cpsc.ca

Their vision is that all Canadians no matter where they live in Canada, living with Cerebral Palsy or a similar mobility disability, be able to access assistive devices,
related information and services that will assist them now and throughout their life journey.

Here we met with Frank, his daughter Jessica and her son Evan, who has Cerebral Palsy.  Evan was an absolutely beautiful boy with the most infectious smile and an ability to speak and make himself understood to an extent much greater than I would have imagined.  Frank and Jessica’s experience with Evan has provided them so much learning…they are full of information and suggestions that would be incredibly beneficial to others caring for someone with CP.

In Canada, 1 in every 100 children born will be affected by Cerebral Palsy.  It most often affects premature babies, which are now being kept alive more often than they would have been decades ago.

Currently the Foundation runs an Assistive Devices program that helps set those in need up with equipment that can be very useful and necessary for those with CP.  They are also working on developing programming that would provide some respite for caregivers and providers.  A wonderful volunteer program is in the works.

Frank and his daughter Jessica want their Foundation to be one that will provide anyone from anywhere across Canada the resources they need to support their loved one living with Cerebral Palsy.

Luke’s Place Support and Resource Centre for Women

Tanya, Colleen and Carol

www.lukesplace.ca

Luke was a 3 ½ year old boy, who was murdered by his father on his first unsupervised access visit in August of 1997. This unsupervised access was allowed by the court process despite pleas from Luke’s mother to permit supervised access only.

Luke’s Place is focused on improving the safety and experience of abused women and their children as they proceed through the family law process. They envisions a family court system that responds efficiently to end domestic violence and effectively provides for the safety, emotional and financial needs of abused women and their children after leaving a situation of abuse. They help woman understand the system in a “plain language”.

In an effort to share their knowledge, they have developed an extensive training and resource manual that they can share with their volunteers as well as other organizations.

Their has been lots of education, with plenty of statistics on the effects that domestic violence has on children and a positive outcome is that women are now trying to get out of their abusive relationships earlier.

Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre

Andrea and me

www.hearthplace.org

Hearth Place is a drop-in centre where cancer patients and their families can come and share their experiences, find resources and discover new ways to care for themselves and each other. They offer peer support, information, a resource centre, wellness programs and an ongoing lecture and discussion series.

They share coping methods with their clients and offer classes like yoga, art, a drumming circle amongst many, many others. Hearth Place provides programs for people to access at any point throughout their cancer.  Telephone support is provided to people who cannot make it in.

Over the years, the complexity of the needs of their clients has increased.  They are getting more referrals from other social service agencies and doctors…these referrals often have other issues attached to them, which require Hearth Place to be able to provide varying supports.  Because they are so hands on, they are able to respond the community needs.

Visiting St. Louis Outreach and ResQ Youth International (both in Brampton) this Wednesday.  More from me then.

Julie

I did something completely out of character this past weekend…I bought an XBOX 360 with a Kinect.  Oh and this gorgeous hunk of technology is all mine (my guys have never wanted one).

My son needed (needed might be too strong a word) a bumper for his cell phone, so we stopped into Future Shop to pick one up.  My intention was to go straight to the phone accessories pegboard and then directly to the closest cashier.

As I was making my way to the exit, a fabulously black and shiny piece of equipment caught my eye AND it just happened to be demo-ing an interactive workout game that looked like SO MUCH FUN.  Mesmerized I watched the very fit woman in the demo tie her Nike Air Max trainers before bursting into an exercise routine that looked like more FUN than it did FITNESS. Who could resist more fun than fitness?!

This system has a motion sensor that tracks your entire body, not just your hands and arms…it can tell you whether or not you’re doing your lunges well, if you’re stance or sit up technique is accurate, if you’re lifting your knees high enough…all of this in a much more friendly tone than my trainer I might add (sorry Peter). Facial and Voice recognition are also a part of this system that is now more in tune with my mood swings than my husband.

Along with Zumba Fitness Party (see, it’s a party, not a workout), I picked up a game that promises to make me a fabulous dancer…even if I choose not to wear hot pants and a fedora.  Oh, you’re laughing now, but you’ll be green with envy when you see me dancing back up for the Temptations at the 2020 Miami Seniors Convention.

Back on the road for site visits tomorrow.  Wonder if I can plug my XBOX into the cigarette lighter in my car?

Julie

Our first visit today was a very exciting one.  Exciting because it addressed  preventative care…a potential solution to many, many of the issues I’ve come across on my site visit journey over the past 6 months.

Will it eliminate the need for many of the charitable organizations working at the grassroots level?  I’m not certain.  I can however say, without a doubt, that it would  help us see a decrease in the number of people relying on homeless shelters, abuse shelters, food banks, teen pregnancy and would very likely decrease the number of suicides.

I’m talking about Mental Health intervention in kids and young people (along with their families).

Many of the organizations I visit claim that a large percentage of their adults clients suffer from Mental Illness or Addiction.  These adults did not become mentally ill the day they turn 21…many suffered with issues that were not diagnosed when they were children.

Mental Health has been getting more attention over the past few years and thanks to corporations like BELL and their very prominent marketing campaign (here in Canada), the exposure for the issue will continue to gain momentum.

One of the challenges will be getting people to see the importance of early intervention.  We don’t often think of kids having mental issues…we look at things like bullying, tantrums, anxieties, sleeplessness, issues with food, irritability, agitation, detachment as something our kids will grow out of.  Some will.  But for many, without some sort of professional support, these traits turn into much bigger issues.

I’ve mentioned before that each of the organizations I visit, continue to serve more and more people every year.  We’ve got to look at solutions that will help break that cycle.  We need to step back, outside of our day to day and focus on what we can do to start decreasing those numbers.

Mental Health early intervention requires us to think long term…it requires us to invest NOW and reap the rewards later.

R.O.C.K. (Reach out Centre for Kids)

www.rockonline.ca

Kirsten and me

Did you know that teen suicide is the 2^nd leading cause of death amongst teens?

Or that 80% of mental health issues are preventable with early intervention? Or that over the next 10 years depression is expected to me more prevalent in kids than asthma?

ROCK has a list of close to 800 young people, waiting for a mental health assessment.

Kirsten, thank you for your passion, your honesty, integrity and willingness to speak with us in a very open and frank way.  Keep doing what you’re doing…you ROCK!

KERR Street Ministries

www.kerrstreet.com

Me and Jodi in the newly completed kitchen donated by Longos

Kerr Street Ministries provides holistic support and care to 5,000 people a year (particularly children and youth and low income families), living in economic, social and spiritual poverty.

They aim to lift people out of poverty by providing relief for the present and hope for the future.

Kerr counts on over 400 volunteers to help them carry out many of their services.  Those include a food bank, music lessons, tutoring, meals, parent support classes, and summer camp, cooking classes and sports programs.

Thanks for the tour Jodi and continued success to your little guy Jack and his lemonade stand crusade.

Halton Lighthouse

www.salvationarmyoakville.ca/shelter.htm

Me and Carol...you can't see this, but whatever was cooking smelled awesome!

Halton Lighthouse is a program of The Salvation Army.  The Salvation Army is Canada’s largest shelter provider.  They shelter 1/3 of all of Canada’s homeless.

The Lighthouse emergency residence is available to all Halton residents who find themselves in a temporary housing crisis that leaves them without safe, secure accommodations.  By remaining in their own community they are better prepared to work through the challenges that they are facing and then integrate back into their communities.

The Lighthouse is a co-ed facility that provides emergency shelter to men and women over the age of 16.  They are also equipped to shelter and support families.

Thanks Carol for the tour of the residence as well as for the background on the start up of the Salvation Army…what a history!

Tomorrow I’m participating as a judge for the TD Scholarships for Community Leadership.  The kids we see (grade 12 students) are so inspiring…not only do they have high school averages that I could have only dreamed of, but they have shown incredible leadership in their communities. Many starting organizations that they will leave in the capable hands of other students to carry on.

Gosh…when I was in grade 12, I spent the entire year worrying about what I would wear to prom!  Thank goodness for this next generation!

I walked into the house and headed straight for my husband who couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes into a nap.  “Do you know that boys emulate their dads more than girls emulate their moms? Good habits and bad are more likely inherited from one generation of males to another!”

I’d like to think that little lesson was one that encouraged my husband to start on dinner, but I’d be kidding myself.  He’s often in the midst of dinner preparation when I get home from a long day on the road.  Thanks Vic!

With dinner over (I DID do the clean up) and the hockey game on, I took advantage of the 15 minute intermission between periods to share some more of my learning with my three boys.

“Did you know that most young men think that birth control is a girls responsibility?  Did you know  some statistics show that 90% of teen girls that have given birth become pregnant again before their first baby turns 2?  Today I met this awesome man named Dave who started a home for young people, working with over 500 individuals a year, when he could have been sitting at home on his butt collecting disability!”

My boys watched me as I rambled on, eyes glazing over…I could tell they were thinking – when, oh when, is my mom going to stop visiting these social service organization? –

My job was done!  – for that evening, that is -

Gate 316: Outreach Centre

www.gate316.org

Julie, Marten and Susan

The Gate 316 is committed to providing the opportunity for interaction, social fellowship and friendship for their clients.

They are based on Christian principles and aim to institute a system of accountability for the purpose of positive behaviour change.

They have recently been blessed with a doctor who has volunteered to come to the Centre one day a week to see their clients.  They also have access to a dentist who is open to seeing clients that Gate 316 refers to him.

They provide breakfast and lunch to between 60-90 people a day Monday to Friday all year round and do this with a budget of $185,000 a year (that in itself is miraculous).

The Refuge

www.refugeoutreach.com

Clarence and me

Colleen and Lady

To show Christian love and kindness to the Youth of our their community through practical and compassionate means of prevention and intervention.
Check out “Our Approach” on the home page…really interesting detail of how they work with the young people they help and why.

500 different young people are supported at The Refuge totaling 20,000 visits a year.  They can be treated to breakfast, lunch, laundry facilities, a shower as well as a donated clothing room.

Clarence, the Executive Director we met with said “ If we as a community do things that we model here at The Refuge, I’d be out of a job and that would be a good thing”.  I have no doubt he’d be right!

Rose of Durham

www.roseofdurham.com

Lots of options for young parents

Young dad's dedicated classroom

Program supporting young parents so that they can develop the tools they need to build a better future for themselves and for their children.

I LOVED that Rose of Durham provides a young dad’s program so that they too can learn how to be a positive support and role model for their children.

Rose of Durham works closely with a number of different organizations in their community, working together on programming, outreach and other support services for young parents.

Janet was an absolute bundle of information…very open, honest and her willingness to share with us her own experiences was very much appreciated…thanks Janet!

Etobicoke, Burlington and Oakville visits this Wednesday and Thursday!

I’ve been thinking about Phil Kessel a lot this weekend.  He’s a player on the Toronto Maple Leafs…a bit more popular today than he was just this past Friday.  Unfortunately his popularity came from being selected last out of 36 players for a spot on the NHL All Star Team.  Yup, the last player sitting alone on a stage where 35 other plays sat just a few minutes before, surrounded by fans and media and did I say media?

I know I’m talking hockey again and believe me I’m not that great a fan, but this guys experience really resonated with me.

I have never been very athletic and being selected last for a team is something I can relate to, although for me it happened in junior high gym class.  Yup, 32 some odd kids in my co-ed class warming up for a game of softball, 2 team captains (the popular kids) taking their turn at making or breaking the morale of the other kids depending on what point of their selection process they were picked. I knew if this gym class was going to be like most of the others, I needed to be prepared.  So,  I sat there in my polyester gym shorts, elastic band cutting into my waist, clenching my heart looking as though I was prepared to belt out a dramatic rendition of God Save the Queen, and faked severe chest pains.

Unlike Phil Kessel, who along with last place in line, was given a car and $20,000 for the charity of his choice, I was force fed an aspirin and made to sit out the rest of gym class, watching from the sidelines with a defibrillator on my lap.

Lesson #1 – If you’re going to fake an injury, make it a sprain…a tensor bandage would have been much less dramatic and just as effective.

Lesson #2 – If being picked last for any reason is going to get you $20,000 for the charity of your choice it may actually be worth an ankle sprain!

Speaking of charities……

Holly joined Colleen and I one day last week and here, Holly describes the visits;

Joining Julie and Colleen for the latest leg of their charity road trip was a privilege and a real treat. To see firsthand the charities that YPI students have reached out to in the past has given me a fresh perspective.

Habitat for Humanity Re-Store

Second Harvest

Regesh

On our first visit of the day, we met with Neil and Mary of Habitat for Humanity Canada. Habitat for Humanity combines the power of people, donations and great ideas to make home ownership an accessible reality for working families living below the poverty line. What struck me about HFH was the elegance of their built-in means for sustainability; economically, socially and environmentally. Salvaging and re-selling unique building materials that would be coveted at the current Toronto Interior Design Show is one way their ReStores turn would-be waste away from landfill and into revenue for their operations. Developing a strategic approach to mortgage financing allows new Habitat homeowners to afford monthly payments that also let them afford the means to better health, education and employment. Helping a family move from often substandard, transient housing into a home that they not only own, but learned to build with their own hands, has an indelible impact that reaches into the future, breaking cycles of poverty, and strengthening children, parents, streets and communities for generations. For more information about their great work, please see www.torontohabitat.on.ca Thank you for the awesome visit…. you’ll see me again soon, checking out the ReStores!!

Second Harvest was our second stop, I’d heard a lot about the great work they are up to. While taking a tour of SH’s distribution headquarters, I soon realized that Second Harvest is choreographing an intricate dance of life and death. Unlike food banks, 85% of the food SH deals with is fresh, vitamin-rocking produce. In a word, perishable. This is a much-needed source of nutrition that is vastly absent from the diets of people living on a low income or social assistance; its demand is currently growing by 20-30% at social service agencies across the city: and, when it reaches Second Harvest, it has an impending time limit. SH’s team of drivers take on many hats to ensure the right type and amount of food reaches the right agencies at the right time. They are experts on community programs, food donor relations and kitchen capacities across the city. We met with many members of the Second Harvest team, and it is clear that everyone is working together like clockwork to ensure good food doesn’t go to waste when it is so badly needed to help prevent people from going hungry in Toronto. Please see www.secondharvest.ca for more information about this awesome initiative. Thank you so much for the great visit.

Regesh Family and Child Services was our final stop of the day, and it stopped my heart. After meeting with Ed Schild and his energetic staff, he took us on a tour of the facilities with such vigour and wondrous excitement that the humble basement rooms which house their exceptional social services whirred to life. Regesh, which means “feelings” in Hebrew, has had immense success helping young people at-risk to losing their grip on a meaningful, self-directed life, by providing an alternative environment in which to learn the tools needed to build self-esteem, confidence and self-management. Regesh is very excited about their newest program, “Reconnecting Youth”, which will focus its time and energy on improving the lives of thirty at-risk grade 9-12 students at three TDSB schools over the next several months. The 5-module after-school program includes “life work” – instead of homework – to encourage students to apply what they’ve learned to their own reality and observe the results of their positive actions. There is so much more to say about the fascinating programming being offered here, please see http://www.regesh.com for more details.

Thanks for that great overview Holly.  Having you along for those visits was a real treat.  Here’s a bit of what you didn’t see the following day.

Hamilton Dream Centre

www.hamiltondreamcenter.org

Hamilton Dream Centre

The Hamilton Dream Center is located in the heart of downtown Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton has the highest incidence of child poverty in Ontario. In the Dream Centre’s neighbourhood 2 out of 5 families live below the poverty line and 76% of all children aged 7-14 go to school hungry.

Although the centres primary focus is to provide food and clothing, they also help their clients with resume writing, interview training as well as some basic computer training.  In an effort to create a neighbourhood that its people respect, Hamilton Dream Centre has also implemented a neighbourhood clean up that engages volunteers and other community members to help keep the community clean

Pride Stables

www.pridestables.com

Pride Stables

Pride Stables

Pride Stables offers therapeutic horseback riding lessons to people with disabilities. During each lesson, riders learn the basics of riding a horse, depending on their abilities.

The benefits of horse back riding are multidimensional.. The lessons build special friendships between the rider, their horse, volunteers and staff. Therapeutic horseback riding uses the horse as a medium of therapy. The combination of the horse’s movement, which simulates the human walking motion, and its higher body temperature, serves to supply passive heat massage to the riders’ muscles, thereby either relaxing spastic muscles or stimulating lax muscles. Riders also participate in exercises improving their muscle strength and flexibility in their upper body.

Thanks Heather, for the tour of the stables and the beautiful property with acres, upon acres of space for the horses.

Marillac Place

www.marillacplace.ca

I wish they'd invent Adult loungers like this.

This little piggy went to Marillac Place.

Marillac Place is a shelter for young mothers 16 – 25 years who are homeless or at risk of losing custody or have lost custody of their child/ren.

Marillac Place gives mothers the tools to become effective parents and self-supporting, responsible members of the community. Marillac Place offers safe affordable accommodation, with basic life skill training, childcare guidance and educational opportunities. They provide opportunities for brighter futures to mother-led families, helping them break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.

They are the only program in Ontario that can provide 12 month residential support.

Marianne’s Place

www.gwwomenincrisis.org

Mariannes’ Place helps women who have experienced emotional, physical, sexual and/or financial abuse. They provide emergency housing, one-to-one counselling, support groups and a 24 hour crisis line.

More than just an emergency residence, Marianne’s Place provides; safety planning, strategy for obtaining financial support, help with the legal system and immigration issues, help with child support and child custody and a wonderful environment where women and their children can feel safe and free of abuse.  They can take some time to clear their minds and get help with developing a strategy for their future that is free of abuse.

Mariannes’s Place work to prevent violence and build a safer community for everyone.

All in all a wonderful week of visits.  The learning never ends…and that’s a good thing.

There is threat of a serious dumping of snow expected over the next few days and I’m hoping it doesn’t interfere with this weeks planned visits.  I’ll keep you posted.

Julie

There are some nights when I just need to rest my brain and distract myself from my to-do list.  Lucky for me (yeah, right), I live with 3 guys whose dedication to the Toronto Maple Leafs is greater than my dedication to dessert.  During the hockey season there is no shortage of evenings when we can be found in front of the TV watching our Leafs struggle for a win.  I don’t really watch, but I do feel that through the process of osmosis, I have the right to call myself a fan.

I was watching the game tonight and happened to see a snippet of an upcoming interview with Wayne Gretzky who turns 50 in a couple of days.

For those of you that might be helped by a Gretzky recap, he is regarded as the best player in the history of the NHL and is often referred to as “the greatest hockey player ever”.  Over his professional career he held forty regular-season records and fifteen playoff records. He retired in 1999 and is still the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season (something he managed to do four times).

When asked to reflect on his milestone and record breaking career, he said “the year I got 92 goals, I think that the hard part for me was I think I only got 1 goal in the last 8 games, and when I look back at it and I think wow I had the chance to get 100 goals and I blew it myself”.

Poor guy…wonder if I should send him a Birthday or Sorry you Blew It card !

Game over and Leafs lost again.

Channel surfing brought me to The Bachelor where I saw 11 girls with the whitest teeth ever; all say, “What Brad and I have is soooo special”.  YUCK! and I’m not kidding, Brad is his real name.

I’d better get back to my to-do list, because accidentally coming across a Jersey Shore Marathon might put me over the edge.

TO-DO LIST item #2 – FINISH MOST RECENT BLOG

All three visits were in Hamilton, a one-hour drive west of Toronto.  Wonderful city, more scenic than I  imagined and filled with friendly and kind people.

St. Martins Manor

www.cfshw.com/teen-pregnancy

Teaching Team at St. martin's School

St. Martin’s Manor is a program of Catholic Family services of Hamilton, providing service to young women of all faiths and cultures. They offer residence during pregnancy and for up to three months after the baby is born
 as well as day programs and outreach for women who do not live in their residence. At St. Martins Manor young mothers have access to medical care, pre-natal classes as well as parenting classes and the ability to obtain high school credits at their on-site educational facility.

Cathy, thanks for the great tour of both the old and new facility.  The fact that you engaged the staff and your clients in the new buildings design was evident.  Each of the rooms is beautifully designed and furnished in a way that shows a great deal of respect for both the manor and it’s clients.

Your school on the lower lever, with the daycare right beside it, is a wonderful opportunity for the girls to continue their education with the support of some terrific, very engaged staff.

Neighbour to Neighbour Centre (N2N)

www.n2ncentre.com

Me, Christa, Denise, Sara and Colleen

There is not nearly enough room in this blog for me to touch on all the wonderful things being done at this Centre.  Their mission is to alleviate and prevent poverty by supporting their neighbours at risk.  Their aim is to be a leader in poverty prevention and they do this by working in three areas;  Education, Access to Food and Family Services.  There is so much work being done in each of those areas I suggest you take some time to read about them on their website.

Neighbour to Neighbour believe strongly in building community partnerships and have done a great job supporting other partners as well as counting on the support of other partners.

There were a few dozen things I LOVED about the programs and services offered here, but there are 2 that I haven’t come across before and would like to share those.

Community Gardens; Working with their neighbouring Church, who generously allows them use of some of their land, Neighbour to Neighbour helps families plant and grow their own food on their own designated plots of land.

Partnership with the local SPCA; In an effort to reduce the number of pets being neglected or turned into the SPCA, they work in partnership to provide families a significantly reduced rate for the spaying and neutering of their pets.  As well, the SPCA provides the Food Bank component of N2N with pet food so that families can continue to feed and care for their pets in their own homes.

Interval House of Hamilton

www.intervalhousehamilton.org

Nancy, me and MaryBeth

Interval House

Interval House is a non-profit agency that serves women, 16 years and older, with or without children who are in or have been in abusive relationships.  They work towards the elimination of gender inequity and abuse through outreach, community advocacy and community development. They offer residential emergency shelter services for 22 women and children (accommodating more when necessary).

Their residence supports about 200 women a year, but their calls for space are well into the 500’s. They work closely with police, lawyers and other community workers to ensure the understanding of abuse is relayed on behalf of the victims.

Their House has lots of outdoor lighting, a lovely enclosed garden space and fenced backyard where kids and moms can feel safe.  The bedrooms are designed with individual bathrooms, there are laundry facilities, a children’s indoor play area, a lovely kitchen and offices for staff nearby, but not imposing.

Every single one of the people I met talked about and represented through their offerings, a great deal of respect.  They showed empathy and understanding and at the centre of all the work they are doing, it is clear they put the dignity of their clients high on the priority list.

Lovin’ it,

Julie

What a wonderful day….

Our first stop was at Starbucks in Indigo.  Normally before heading into a bookstore like Indigo I’d be searching through my purse for my rewards card.  I’m a complete “book”ie…I love to read and spend more time reading than I do just about anything else. Today at Indigo felt different.  I didn’t hyperventilate, as I passed “Oprah’s Favorites” and experienced no heart palpitations or sweaty palms as I caught a glimpse of the “Staff Suggestions”.  I held my head high, ignored the alluring hardcovers that I’m certain were calling my name and proceeded to the cofeeshop in the far corner of the store.  You see, my kids bought me a Kindle for Christmas and I have fallen head over heels in love.  I’m quite sure there is no paperback or hardcover that could steal me away.  The idea that I am collecting a library of books in a piece of technology the size of my sons boxers sends me over the edge…I’m in literary heaven!

Enough about me and my love for my Kindle and onto better more important things.

My first meeting this morning was with an absolutely inspirational woman who I had not had the opportunity to meet before today.  Those of you living in Toronto (Canada for that matter) will remember a day in the Spring of 2004 when an innocent woman was caught in the crossfire of bullets intended for a group of boys nearby.  The bullet shattered her spine and she was paralyzed, her life forever changed in that instant.

There is nothing about Louise or her spirit and determination that would lead you to believe she was the “victim” of anything.  She has taken something so terrible and violent that happened to her and turned it into being about anything but her.  She is determined to inspire young people and empower them to make positive choices and take actions that help make their schools and communities safe.

Louise has initiated the Louise Russo Youth Awards.  These awards recognize youth that exemplify leadership through initiatives that reduce violence in their communities.  For more information on these awards and to learn more about what Louise’s organization W.A.V.E represents, check out her website at www.louiserussowave.ca

Louise and Tinda (Volunteer Director of Development), it was such a pleasure to meet you both.

Tinda, Me, Louise

Our next visit was with an ALS Ontario.  I knew nothing and I really mean “nothing” about ALS, other than it’s also been referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body. People lose the ability to control almost all voluntary movement. People diagnosed with ALS live on average between 2 – 4 years.  I was overwhelmed and on the brink of tears this entire meeting…I just couldn’t imagine a disease without hope.  How does someone hear something like that.  Imagine learning that your body will slowly shut down and that there is nothing, no treatment that can stop it from happening.  Imagine being aware that this is happening to you, yet there is nothing, absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.  I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

The wonderful people at ALS provide support to people with the disease as well as to their children and other family members. ALS Ontario advocate for support from insurance companies and other support services on behalf of their patients. They run a wonderful equipment program and in home support to those with ALS.  40% of clients living with ALS live in poverty.

www.alsont.ca

Thank you Maureen and Eleanor for the time spent answering my questions, often very naïve ones.  Those in the ALS Ontario community benefit greatly from all that you do!

Eleanor, Me, Maureen, Colleen

More from me after my visits to Hamilton tomorrow.

Julie