It's all about the clients

Merry Christmas, everyone. I know a lot of you are busy with last minute details. Perhaps you have to hit the mall one more time to pick up a last gift. Maybe you're in the kitchen baking holiday treats for the friends and family who are going to visit over the next few days.

At Shepherds of Good Hope, we're getting ready for Christmas, too. The decorations have been up for weeks and the gifts for the men and women will be handed out tomorrow. A lot of the shoe boxes we hand out are put together by school children and I want to send a special thank you to all the students who helped us in our mission this year.

This morning, we were hanging some art in the shelter to give a little more colour and to show off the special talents some of the men and women have. Here's a little exhibit along with a group photo of some of the artists.

The homeless have talent

I was reading an article recently about an art exhibit. The art, mostly paintings, was created by people living in shelters.

It made me think of the men and women living at our shelter at 256 King Edward and in our supportive living facilities. You would be amazed at how many talented people we have in our care. And art is just one talent. We have people who can play music, sign, you name it. We don't always see it, of course.

In past years residents, at 208 St. Andrew, a supportive living facility operated by Shepherds of Good Hope, have hosted an event they call Art in the Parking Lot, a cute take on the art in the park events that happen in Ottawa during the summer.

It's very good art and some of our residents have been successful at selling it.

The lesson here is that people are homeless for a variety of reasons. But it has nothing to do with a lack of talent or a lack of desire to be in a better position in life.

Here are a few samples of the talent we have at Shepherds of Good Hope.