Christmas 2013

On December 25th, 2013, our clients were treated to our annual Christmas lunch with turkey and all the trimmings!

John Baird MP volunteered his time to help serve meals to the hungry.

Here I am with John Baird and my son, Josh.

A big Thank You to everyone that volunteered their time on Christmas.  You really made the day special to those in need!

CBC Day of Giving

What a past few weeks it has been!  CBC chose us for the second year in a row as the charity of choice for their Annual Day of Giving. 

Just as last year, the kick off included the Hopes and Dreams contest featured on Alan Neal's "All in a Day" radio show.  7 people raised funds for Shepherds of Good Hope in order to make a dream of theirs come true and they raised over $16,000! 

After that contest there were several prizes to be won just for donating!  That really made people excited for prizes such as being featured in an Ian Rankin book, having Hawksley Workman write a song and there were so many more!

The big day on December 6 started very early out at Greenboro Station.  We were out there with the "Ottawa Morning" team on a bus collecting donations.  We also had some very talented artists join us to play fantastic music.



John Hynes plays on Ottawa Morning

Later in the day on "All in a Day", Alan revealed how much money each participant of the Hopes and Dreams contest raised and we were so thankful and amazed. 

Hopes and Dreams contestants on All in a Day

At the end of the day, the total was almost $130,000! 

 

But CBC continued to raise money throughout the weekend and the final total was $136,389.75!

Shepherds of Good Hope would like to thank CBC Ottawa, Hopes and Dreams contestants and all of the generous supporters who helped raise the many funds in support of the most vulnerable men and women in the City of Ottawa during their Holiday Charity Drive Campaign.  CBC was instrumental in recalling the many stories of those who need our help daily.  The campaign was a tremendous success but we could not provide our services without your help.  Again, a great big Thank You!

Avnet Group Lunch

Last week, our Hope Living in Kanata residents had the pleasure of a visit from Avnet employees.

They were there to serve lunch and they also brought entertainment! The residents and staff had a fantastic time.  Elvis had them dancing, clapping and smiling from ear to ear!

A combination of several cheques totaling $2200.00 were presented to us with a promise of their headquarters in the states matching or topping their donation. 


THANK YOU AVNET!

 

 

To see the rest of these fantastic photos on Facebook, click HERE!

My Appearance on Our Ottawa!

Last week I had the pleasure of appearing on "Our Ottawa" on CBC with Alan Neal to discuss the CBC Day of Giving.

Shepherds of Good Hope is the designated charity for the 2nd year in a row and are absolutely thrilled!

Please take a few minutes to watch the segment.

Our Ottawa

Stay tuned to CBC this weekend as I will be on Our Ottawa with Alan Neal talking about Shepherds of Good Hope and the Hopes and Dreams contest!

Show times are
Saturday, November 30 at 6:00am
Sunday, December 1 at  11:00am
Monday, December 2 at 11:00am

Our Ottawa host Lucy van Oldenbarneveld and I on set

2013 Grinch Dinner

The Grinch Dinner is a very important annual fundraising event for the Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation. The funds are used to care for the many in our community requiring food, shelter and emergency services and ensures that no one is ever turned away.

Ron Eade was a guest at this year's event and I hope you read his blog post about his experience!
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/11/26/come-to-think-of-it-i-dont-much-mind-a-grinchs-christmas/

Sandwichathon!

Our Senior Manager of Support Services, Lindy, went out to St. Joseph's Catholic High School today where they were having a Sandwichathon!  All the kids got together to make 1500 sandwiches this morning!

 

Truly awesome!

Jack and the Fairy Dogmother

Tammie Winsor will be at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library at the Apt613 book sale on Saturday, November 23, from 11:00 to 4:00 selling her book “Jack and the Fairy Dogmother”.

 

This book became a reality as a result of the 2012 CBC Hopes and Dreams campaign. The book sells for $12.00 and $2.00 from every book sold at the event will go towards the 2013 Shepherds of Good Hope CBC Hopes and Dreams campaign.

Congratulations Tammie!

Kailey's Scarves for the Homeless

On Monday, November 11, Kailey stopped by with a box of scarves that she knit for the homeless.

What a fantastic gift to give to someone just as the weather is getting very chilly!

Thank you, Kailey!

Visit Kailey's Facebook Page

Celebrating with Shepherds of Good Hope

On Sunday, November 10, Linda Kerzner and her family joined our kitchen staff to serve a special meal to our clients in honour of her birthday.

Hundreds of clients that stay in our homeless shelter at 256 King Edward were treated to a delicious chicken dinner with chocolate cake.  For her birthday, Linda wanted to help out the hungry people in her own community.  What a lovely gift to those in need!

If you would like to provide a meal to the community, please click HERE.

Happy Halloween!

Last night we had a spooky good time at Shepherds of Good Hope!

I spent the evening with my friends, Linda and Steven Kerzner, handing out delicious treats to all!  We made sure to stop by 233 Murray Street where our Evening Drop-in is located to pass out candy to all that were there.  Our evening drop in is open to anyone that wants to join us for a hot meal and friendly faces to spend some time with.

We also made a scary stop on over to 256 King Edward to hand out treats to all of the men and women that stay in our shelters.  It was a great time and they all loved our costumes.  Happy Halloween to all!

Creative Kosher Catering

I would just like to send a big THANK YOU to David Smith at Creative Kosher Catering!  He has been donating delicious food to our soup kitchen on a regular basis and our clients absolutely love the dishes!

Yesterday, he provided trays of stuffed chicken, roasted chicken, salmon, sushi and roasted root vegetables.  This was enough to feed our entire dinner crowd.  I went downstairs to see the food before dinner was served and our volunteers in the kitchen were absolutely delighted to get to serve our men and women.

It really puts a smile on everyone's face around here when people can have a special treat that they would normally not get to have.

Thank you so much.  You truly do make a difference to the lives of those we serve. 

Hope Living Open House

On October 23, 2013 we opened the doors of our newest supportive living facility in Kanata to the public. Approximately 60 visitors joined the staff and residents of Hope Living to have tours and hear speakers. 

 

 

Adam Smith, President and Chair of Shepherds of Good Hope, as well as Ottawa City Councillor, Allan Hubley spoke to guests about the program.

 

 

Our Tree of Hope was also unveiled and looks absolutely gorgeous!

 

 

Our visitors were very excited to see how the property is being updated and refurbished.  Guests and residents all agreed that the event was a wonderful way to encourage a feeling of neighbour helping neighbour.

Intact Insurance

Intact Insurance came to volunteer at the Good Day Workshop today. They painted our kitchen, helped in the workshop making canes and helped with cleaning around the program. They were a great help!

They also donated $500 towards the Good Day Workshop.

Thank you so much!  You really have made a difference in the lives of those we serve!

Our 2013 Annual General Meeting

Last night we celebrated the achievements of Shepherds of Good Hope and Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation over the past year.


I officially launched our new Tree of Hope Campaign.  The goal of this tree is to raise $500,000 for our new location in Kanata to give the place a facelift and make it more enjoyable for residents, staff and volunteers. 

 

 A donor can purchase a leaf on the tree for $2,500 and their message of hope will be forever immortalized on the wall at Hope Living in Kanata.  Last night three of our generous donors made a contribution right there on the spot!  Sam Spaturo got the very first leaf and his message of inspiration is "Never give up on your Dreams. Never give up!"

 

If you would like to make a contribution to this worthy project, please call Judy Stilwell at 613-789-8210 ext. 223 or CLICK HERE to donate online.

 

Throughout the evening we had President and Chair of Shepherds of Good Hope, Adam J. Smith speak as well as President and Chair of Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation, John Peters.

Stephen Bartolo, Senior Manager of Shelter/Support Services, spoke about programs TESP (Transitional Emergency Shelter Program) and about ESP (Enhanced Support Program) that are new to the organization as of this year.
 
Joanne Hansen, Senior Manager Supportive Housing/Women’s Services, shared about the success of our newest supportive living residence, Hope Living which is now out in Kanata.
 
We also presented awards to those who have made an outstanding contribution to the success of the organization.

 

Ottawa Catholic School Board School Awards
This award of achievement goes to the elementary school with the most contributions during the year to Shepherds of Good Hope. Presented to St. Francis of Assisi School and Holy Trinity High School.

Graduate Student Volunteer Award

This award is presented each year to a Student Volunteer in recognition of their dedication to their community. Presented to Emily Evans (Accepted by Principal Bill Walsh, All Saints Catholic High School).

 

 

Staff Service Award

This award is intended to recognize the staff member who acts with the client in mind in providing the best service possible in terms of quality, timeliness or completeness. Presented to Dave Cormier.

 

 

Agnes Devlin Volunteer Award

This award is presented each year to a long standing Volunteer in recognition of their dedication to Shepherds of Good Hope. Presented to Eric Long.

Community Involvement Award

Recognizes and celebrates outstanding individuals, corporations or organizations of the community who have made significant contributions toward the betterment of the lives of the marginalized. Presented to Charles Logue, Posthumously (Accepted by the Logue Family on his behalf).

 

Partnership Award

Recognizes partnerships that exemplify excellence in service for the benefit of the homeless and the poor in our community. Presented to SOGH Seva Group (accepted by group member, Bhagwan Gupta).

Media Award

Honours outstanding journalism that enhances the public’s awareness and understanding of homelessness and the complex issues involved with it. Presented to CBC Ottawa (accepted by Joanne Steventon and Ruth Zowdu).
 

Lunch Sponsor - Rose and Tony

Every day we have about 400 people come through our doors for a hot meal at lunch time.  As you can imagine that is a lot of food needed to feed the hungry in our community.

I would like to thank Rose and Tony Donato for making a donation in order for us to prepare and serve this extra special meal today.  It was roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Our clients were very excited and satisfied with their delicious lunch.  Rose and Tony, you sure make a difference in the lives of those we serve!

If you are interested in sponsoring a special lunch for a day, please feel free to contact me at 613-789-8210 ext. 247 or asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com

2013 Team TELUS Charitable Giving Program

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of having Ashton Singh from Telus pay me a visit to my office. 

The wonderful employees/alumni at Telus donated money to Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation, and Telus matched them dollar for dollar!  This came out to an astounding donation of $4,370.08 that will go directly to serving our clients! 

On behalf of all staff, volunteers and clients at our organization, I would like to sincerely thank Telus and their employees for their incredible kindness, generosity and compassion for those in our city that need our help every day.

If you or your organization are interested in a charitable giving program within your work, please contact me at 613-789-8210 ext. 247 or email me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com

7th Annual Hope Garden Party

On Saturday, August 17, the Shepherds of Good Hope Volunteer Department put on a lovely event to celebrate our Hope Garden and our volunteers. 

The guests were able to roam the gardens and enjoy refreshments on the lovely day.

 

We also had live entertainment from Paddy G and the Mennie Men with Neil Busch on the clarinet. Thanks for the great music!

We would also like to thank all who made this event possible, especially all of our volunteers that worked so hard all Summer to keep the garden plentiful with fresh, organic vegetables for our Soup Kitchen and Grocery Program. Thanks are also in order to our garden partners Rideau Nursery, Lee Valley & Greely Sand and Gravel.