Visit from OCSB

Today we had 14 members of the Ottawa Catholic School Board visit us at the shelter and soup kitchen. 

Director of Education, Julian Hanlon, and 13 of his colleagues joined us to tour the shelter at 256 King Edward where our men and women's shelters are as well as other life building programs.

After the tour, everyone chipped in to prep lunch and dinner for our clients.

 

 

Thanks for coming to visit and helping out with our meals!

St. Anne Catholic School

Today I spent a wonderful morning with children from St. Anne's Catholic School. 

I went to the school to give them a presentation about Shepherds of Good Hope as well as to share our video.

The children then presented me a cheque for $1803.87 that they raised in their bottle drive.

 

Not only did they raise funds for those in need, but they also put together 100 packages of toiletries!

 

I was happy to present them with a certificate of achievement from us here at Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation.

  



Thank you so much for having me to your school and thanks so much for thinking of the vulnerable men and women in our city!

Working Towards a Brighter Future

Paul J was a chronic shelter user and first came to Shepherds of Good Hope in 2004. At that time, Paul was laid off from his recent employment and was evicted from his home. Paul also had anger management issues which were greatly manifested through his recreational drinking. Paul would often cause major disturbances in the middle of the night with his bunk mates in the shelter. Clearly, Paul’s life was spiraling out of control. In November of 2011, Paul decided to turn his life around when he joined the Worker Dorm Program. This is a program designed to help people maintain employment and secure more permanent housing. The Worker Dorm Program provided structure for Paul. He had to get ready for his job each morning at the same time and would get a bag lunch from the Soup Kitchen to take to work with him. During this period of time, his Case Manager worked closely with Paul to jointly achieve the goals he set for himself. He was prompted to take his medication every day. They worked together to budget and save for eventual housing outside of the shelter as well. The Case Manager set a plan for Paul’s conflict resolution skill building. Paul benefited from the patient and continuous support from the staff and his Case Manager. Over the following months, Paul was showing signs in many areas that he was actively working to improve his life’s circumstances. It all paid off. Paul left the shelter in February of 2012 with his medication stabilized, finances in order and coping skills to handle his anger issues. He has not used shelter services since but he will still stop in to say hi to the staff, grateful for the second chance that Shepherds of Good Hope made possible. To help us help others like Paul please click here.

A Huge Thank You!

Last night Kelly Hastings and her team of Toiletry Hunters and Packers put together 30 welcome kits of toiletries for men and women who will be relocating to Kanata. Each kit contained shampoo, conditioner, razors, Kleenex, toothpaste, bubble bath, shaving cream, soap, body cream and deodorant in a recyclable bag that they will be able to carry groceries in later on. Wow, how thoughtful some people are!

Kelly heard me talk on CBC about one of the first things our clients did when they relocated to the Oaks – another one of our supportive living facilities, was to sit in their bathtub and have a long, luxurious bubble bath. Kelly said the light bulb went on and she and her friends decided to do this for them. A big thank you to Kelly Hastings and her team. A job well done!.

An Inspiring Conference

Yesterday I attended an AFP conference in their Diversity to Inclusion Series at the Centurion Conference and Event Centre. The theme of this conference was Jewish Philanthropy. It brought together philanthropists, community leaders, fundraisers and volunteers in an effort to start a conversation about how charities are working with Jewish communities in Ontario to advance the causes that all Jews stand behind. The key note speaker was the President of the Board of the Orthodox Union – the distinguished Stephen Savitsky from New York who has held numerous leadership positions in the Jewish Community. His talk was historically captivating and spiritually inspirational to the audience. There followed a Philanthropist Panel, breakout sessions and a Non-Profit Leadership Panel. There were discussions around Next Generation Jewish Philanthropy, Connections and Philanthropy and Big Town vs Small Town Jewish Philanthropy.



My brother Moishe and I at the conference. Moishe Smith discusses big town vs. small town giving.

This one-of-a kind event was an amazing get together of lay leaders and those eager to learn from them and I feel privileged to have attended.